| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7446493 | Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports | 2015 | 7 Pages |
Abstract
Two amorphous lumps of a black material with a combined weight of c. 1Â kg were recovered during rescue excavations at the Mausoleum M1 of the King of Jiangdu, located at Dayun Hill, Jiangsu Province, China, and dated to the Western Han Period (202 BC-8Â AD). This paper reports the analysis of this material by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Through comparison with modern reference samples, the archaeological material is identified as beeswax. Based on archaeological and documentary evidence, it is argued that this provides direct evidence for the early use of beeswax and could constitute the earliest use of beeswax as fuel for lamps in China.
Related Topics
Social Sciences and Humanities
Arts and Humanities
History
Authors
Saiping Ma, Marcos Martinón-Torres, Zebin Li,