Posted on 12/11/2003 1:18:43 PM PST by blam
Clue found to uncover mystery of gunpowder invention
Chinese archeologists have found a large ancient saltpeter manufacturing base which they believe was used to manufacture gunpowder over 1,000 years ago.
A team of archaeologists discovered last month a network of caves at the Laojun Mountain in southwestern China's Sichuan Province.
Xu Xiangdong, leader of the expedition and former president of the Beijing Ancient Building Museum, said the caves were used to manufacture saltpeter, one of the major ingredients of gunpowder.
In two caves, the remains of workshops and storage pits were discovered, while in another cave the team found four work spaces,each covering hundreds of square meters, along with several saltpeter pits, and scattered fragments of chinaware.
Based on the finds, scientists estimated the ancient miners could have extracted one kg of saltpeter from 100 kg of earth and the kitchens could have fed 100 workers.
The finds proved that the Laojun Mountain was the largest base for saltpeter production, said the experts.
They speculated that the saltpeter, named "Chinese Snow" by foreigners, was probably transported from here to Europe and west Asia via the road twisting between Sichuan and Gansu provinces.
Experts agreed that the large number of halls in towns and cities around the area were used to trade saltpeter in ancient times.
Gunpowder is one of the four great inventions in ancient China along with paper, printing and the compass.
According to historic records, ancient Chinese found that the mixture of saltpeter, sulfur and carbon was explosive, which led to the invention of gunpowder sometime before the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
However, even today, the history of gunpowder manufacturing still rests on fragments in the historic record.
The manufacture of saltpeter has remained a mystery to Chinese scientists, said Xu Xiangdong.
"We are so excited to find important material proofs regarding the invention of gunpowder," said Luo Zhewen, head of the expert team under the State Bureau of Cultural Relics.
If the Laojun Mountain proves to be the birthplace of gunpowderand the largest exploitation base for saltpeter in history, it will be one of the most significant archaeological discoveries both in China and the world, Xu Xiangdong said.
He lived well into his 90's and left behind 7 children, 18 grandchildren, 27 great grendchildren, and a 40-foot diameter hole in the wall of the crematorium.
Yes, but since Hillary is around now there is no longer a need for it. One picture of her accomplishes the same thing.
Interesting. The three great inventions for Europe have been considered the compass, firearms, and moveable type.
-Thomas More, who also wrote the first modern utopia.
"Sir Thomas More was one of the most scintillating and contradictory examples of the Renaissance man: lawyer, statesman, humanist, ascetic, author of Utopia , advocate for equal rights for women, enlightened teacher, Henry VIII's Lord Chancellor and, finally, the role which was highlighted in the Robert Bolt play A Man For All Seasons : Roman Catholic martyr." --Francis Gilbert (in The Guardian , 26 February 1998).
She is truly the antidote to Viagra...
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on, off, or alter the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list --
Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
The GGG Digest -- Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)
The Mongols invented cannon, and the first really workable cannons were used in the Turkish assault on Constantinople.
You're about a century off. The Brits used cannon at Crecy in 1346. The Turks did use cannon at Constantinople, but that was 1453.
Mongols had cannons around 1280 and prior to that had used gunpower bombs in catapaults as early as their invasion of Europe around 1240.
Thomas More claimed the 3 greatest inventions were moveable type, the compass, and firearms.
At least I am consistent over time, a perdurance effect.
ping
'The longest fuse begins with a single match." Charlie Chan
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