# Analysis of the Fiber Residues Unearthed from the Dabuzi Han Tomb in Xi’an, Shaanxi

## TL;DR

This paper analyzes ancient fiber residues from a Han dynasty tomb in Xi’an to determine their composition and function, revealing insights into early paper-making techniques.

## Contribution

The study identifies the fiber sheet as ancient hemp paper made using the fixed-mold method, offering new evidence on early Chinese paper-making technology.

## Key findings

- The fiber sheet was made of cellulose, semi-cellulose, and lignin, typical of hemp or ramie.
- The sheet showed characteristics of ancient fixed-mold paper-making, including transverse and longitudinal fiber patterns.
- The absence of characters suggests the sheet was used as a packaging material rather than for writing.

## Abstract

In 2021, archeologists found that a bronze mirror was wrapped with a yellow-green fiber sheet in the Western Han tomb M68 in the Dabuzi Cemetery in Xi’an, China. To ascertain the composition and function, a scanning electronic microscopy–energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and pyrolysis gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) were combined for the morphology and components’ analysis. The results showed that the surface of the yellow-green fiber sheet was very rough without curtain patterns, and the fiber was disorderly intertwined. The paper was quite thick with various thicknesses (the average thickness was 0.58 mm) and the average diameter of the fiber was 20.71 μm. There were obvious transverse joint stripes on the fiber cell with longitudinal stripes characteristic of ramie or hemp. The main ingredients were cellulose, semi-cellulose, and lignin. Based on the above comprehensive joint experiments, the yellow-green fiber sheet in M68 was presumably ancient hemp paper made with the fixed-mold method. Moreover, it was speculated to be a package material since no characters were found. This paper is of great significance for studying the Chinese fixed-mold paper-making technique and for understanding the origins and developmental trajectory of ancient paper-making technology.