Researchers decode metal-making recipes in ancient Chinese text

Study identifies mystery elements in Kaogong ji, shedding light on how early bronzes were produced

Sascha Pare
Wed 10 Aug 2022 05.00 EDT

Researchers have deciphered enigmatic recipes for metal-making contained in an ancient Chinese text, revealing unexpected complexity in the art at the time.

Six chemical formulas are given in a Chinese text from 300BC known as the Kaogong ji. The manuscript, known as The World’s Oldest Encyclopedia of Technologies, forms part of a detailed archive of early imperial rule, which archeologists have been trying to decode since the 1920s.

“The Kaogong ji may have been written by an administrator to assure the emperor that everything was under control. It is part of a manual for how to run the empire,” said Prof Mark Pollard, from the University of Oxford.

For 100 years, scholars have grappled with the meaning of two key components of the recipes: Jin and Xi. Now, researchers believe they have identified the missing ingredients.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/10/metal-making-recipes-ancient-chinese-text-kaogong-ji