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Article ID: CBB000933473

New Research on Bin-tie (2007)

Qian, Wei (Author)

Ziran Kexueshi Yanjiu (Studies in the History of Natural Sciences)
Volume: 26
Pages: 165--191

Publication Date: 2007
Edition Details: [Translated title.] In Chinese.
Language: Chinese

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Abstract As an important material in the history of technological and cultural exchange between China and the West, bin-tie was often used as a type of high quality steel in Chinese texts. Many scholars have done researches on this special product and thought it has relations to Damascene steel, but recent research has given us some new opinions. It is shown that the word bin-tie first appeared in a Buddhist sutra translated from Sanscrit in Sui Dynasty, and was mentioned in Zhou Shu (History of the Zhou Dynasty) and Sui Shu(History of the Sui Dynasty) completed in 636. The earliest explanation of bin-tie is seen in the Yi Qie Jing Yin Yi completed in 807. The word bin might be understood as the iron product from State Jibin as well as being transliterated directly from foreign languages. It was generally used as a special iron or steel product in many places. The history on Liao Dynasty(9071125)named after bin-tie was fabricated by the rulers of Jin Dynasty (11151234). The Bureau of Bin-tie in Yuan Dynasty(12061368) was just an office for the management of the smiths and smelters from Central and Southwest Asia. The legend about ores saying that bin-tie could be produced in Hami was most probably referring to meteorolite or crucible. The famous temple of Bin-tie in Taiyuan was simply a site for iron-smelting. Bin-tie was used for making weapons and tools, and even musical instruments and coins. It was first written for its feature of watered pattern in Yun Yan Guo Yan Lu (Record of Things Like Floating Smoke and Passing Clouds)done in late Southern Song Dynasty (11271279), in which the patterned bin-tie dagger ought be produced by a general named Shui in the Jin Dynasty. There are still a lot of statements about bin-tie since the Tang Dynasty (618909). Linguistic study shows that Damascus steel is a word closely related to water patterned process. Archaeometallurgical studies indicate that Damascene steel, well-known for its natural patterns by special crucible smelting and forging process, might be better produced by pulat in Central Asia, rather than wootz in Southwest Asia. So bin-tie is not the same word of Damascus steel. In fact, bin-tie is more like a type of intermediate product like pulat and wootz is really a crucible steel, which might be produced through the co-fusion process developed by Chinese artisans. The patterned bin-tie, or Damascus knife and sword, was first used in China in about the 12th century, only a little later than in Central Asia. There is very little archaeological evidence to show that crucible steel was produced in China from ancient to medieval times, so bin-tie was almost an entirely imported material from outside China all through the historical period. The archaeometallugical study on the Xinjiang Region in the northwest of China might enable us to get a clear understanding of the origin of bin-tie and its transmission.

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Description On a type of high-quality steel in ancient and medieval China.

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