Abstract
The inkstone is a specific writing implement in China that was popularized since the Han Dynasty (202 BC–AD 220). A rectangular/round grinding plate accompanied with a grinding stone is considered as a kind of proto-inkstone. However, little scientific investigation has been performed to support this hypothesis. In this paper, a micro-destructive approach, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC–MS), were employed to analyse the black residues on a grinding plate and a grinding stone excavated from the Changle Cemetery (202 BC–AD 8) in northwestern China. The FTIR and Raman analyses indicated that the residues were ancient ink. GC–MS analysis further identified that the residues were pine-soot ink, based on the relative abundances of the main polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, as well as the detection of conifer biomarkers. The trace of animal glue was not detected in the residues; thus, the ink was possibly formed as small pellets and the small grinding stone was necessary to assist during the ink-grinding process. This study confirms that this set of stone implements is indeed an early type of inkstone, and offers some insight into the co-evolution relationship between ink production and inkstone shapes.
Highlights
The inkstone is used to grind solid ink products with water into liquid ink, which is necessary in Chinese calligraphy and brush painting [1]
The identification of ink and inkstone Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results (Fig. 2) revealed that the archaeological samples and pine soot all show the transmission band at approximately 1580 cm−1, which is assigned to arylH group in aromatic six-rings, indicating that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are the prominent organic components in the black residues [17]
The results show that both samples contain large amounts of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including phenanthrene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benz[a]anthracene, triphenylene, benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, benzo[b]fluoranthene and indeno[1, 2, 3-cd]pyrene, which demonstrated that the residues were derived from combustion
Summary
The inkstone is used to grind solid ink products with water into liquid ink, which is necessary in Chinese calligraphy and brush painting [1]. Ink and inkstone were gradually popularized during the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC–AD 8) with the development of the social economy. Additional file 1: Figure S1 shows the development of inkstones since the Western Han Dynasty. A round or rectangular stone plate accompanied with a small grinding stone has been supposed to be in the early development stage of inkstones, which we call as the proto-inkstone. This inkstone was designed in this way, because the contemporary inks were mainly formed in small pellets, which could not be ground directly against
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