Organic residue analysis reveals the use of ambergris in a late Warring States royal tomb

Incense has played an important role in the economy, culture, and rituals of several ancient civilizations. One constituent is the rare marine animal product ambergris. However, no physical evidence of its use in ancient China has been found until now. In this study, organic extracts of soil from twenty-one bronzeware Dings and control samples from Wuwangdun Tomb No. 1 were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Ambrein, coprostanol, and epicoprostanol, known constituents of ambergris, were detected in four vessels. Comparison with control samples and literature data for adipocere and faecal samples confirmed these compounds were not from contamination or other sources. This study provides the earliest molecular evidence for ambergris use worldwide, extending its history back to the late 3rd century BCE.