History India ink

a solid ink stick used preparation of ink

the process of making india ink known in china middle of 3rd millennium bc, during neolithic china. india ink first invented in china, english term india(n) ink coined due later trade india.

india ink has been in use in india since @ least 4th century bc, called masi, admixture of several substances. indian documents written in kharosthi ink have been unearthed in far xinjiang, china. practice of writing ink , sharp-pointed needle in tamil , other dravidian languages common practice since antiquity in south india, , several ancient buddhist , jain scripts in india compiled in ink. in india, carbon black india ink formulated obtained indigenously burning bones, tar, pitch , other substances.

the traditional chinese method of making ink grind mixture of hide glue, carbon black, lampblack, , bone black pigment pestle , mortar, pouring ceramic dish dry. use dry mixture, wet brush applied until reliquified, or more commonly in east asian calligraphy, grind against inkstone. manufacture of india ink well-established cao wei dynasty (220–265 ad). historically ink used in china in form of ink sticks made of lampblack , animal glue.

the chinese had used india ink derived pine soot prior 11th century ad, when polymath official shen kuo (1031–1095) of mid song dynasty became troubled deforestation (due demands of charcoal iron industry) , desired making ink source other pine soot. believed petroleum (which chinese called rock oil ) produced inexhaustibly within earth , decided make ink soot of burning petroleum, later pharmacologist li shizhen (1518–1593) wrote lustrous lacquer , superior pine soot ink.

a common ingredient in india ink, called carbon black, has been used many ancient historical cultures. example, ancient egyptians , greeks both had own recipes carbon black . 1 greek recipe, 40-90 ad, written, documented , still exists today.