By deciphering enigmatic recipes from an ancient Chinese text, researchers have unraveled the mystery of the complex art and weapon-making techniques of that time. Scientists from the University of Oxford have unearthed six chemical formulas in a Chinese text known as Kaogong ji dated to 300 BC.
Known as the World’s Oldest Encyclopedia of Technology, the manuscript forms part of a detailed archive of Chinese early imperial rule, whose secrets archaeologists have been trying to unravel since the 1920s. Commenting on the subject, Prof. Dr. “Kaogong ji may have been written by an administrator to assure the emperor that everything is under control. It forms part of a manual on how to run the empire,” said Mark Pollard.