Guangzhou crucibles provide earliest direct evidence of brass-making in East Asia
For centuries, scholars have read ancient documents describing the production of brass in 10th-century A.D. China. The problem was that the earliest physical evidence of brass production would be found nearly 600 years later, in the 16th century A.D.
A new study published in Antiquity has uncovered the earliest direct evidence of brass-making in East Asia, with the discovery of crucibles dating back to the 9th-10th century A.D. in Guangzhou, southern China. Archaeologist Hongyan Xiao from Peking University discovered these crucibles while visiting the city's metalworking workshop, which operated for over a millennium.
The team found tiny droplets of brass trapped on the surfaces of three crucibles, providing compelling evidence for the practice of brass-making in ancient Guangzhou. Guangzhou, a bustling international hub for nearly two millennia after the fall of the Nanyue Kingdom, was indeed a major trading center, as evidenced by the vast number of trading ships that arrived annually.
The discovery of these crucibles sheds light on the transmission of brass-making technology via maritime routes, possibly from Islamic practices, and fills a significant gap in understanding the history of technology and human innovation.
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