Editing Inkstone (section)

=== Early history ===
The inkstone is Chinese in origin and is used in [[Chinese calligraphy|calligraphy]] and [[Chinese painting|painting]]. Extant inkstones date from early antiquity in China.

The device evolved from a rubbing tool used for rubbing [[dye]]s dating around 6000 to 7000 years ago.<ref name="Chen">{{cite book|author=Tingyou Chen|title=Chinese Calligraphy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1VaoSE8FQfMC&pg=PA43|date=3 March 2011|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-18645-2|page=43}}</ref> The earliest excavated inkstone is dated from the 3rd century BC, and was discovered in a tomb located in modern [[Yunmeng County|Yunmeng]], Hubei. Usage of the inkstone was popularized during the Han dynasty.<ref name="Metropolitan">{{cite book|title=China: Dawn of a Golden Age, 200–750 AD|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_JbdS-R3y72MC|year=2004|publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art|isbn=978-1-58839-126-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_JbdS-R3y72MC/page/n134 108]}}</ref>