A Filigree Gold Ring from an Eastern Jin Dynasty (317–420 CE) Tomb in Changsha and Its Implications for Early Maritime Exchange between China and Southeast Asia

WANG Hui

A delicate gold ring was excavated from Tomb M1, dating to the Eastern Jin dynasty (317–420 CE) at the Yuelushan Metallurgical Institute archaeological site in Changsha, Hunan Province, China. The ring was crafted employing the filigree technique (intricate twisted wire goldwork), with hammered gold wires twisted into three coils to form the band. The bezel comprises a single gold wire wound into a spiral motif. The filigree technique and twisted-wire design bear a close resemblance to comparable rings discovered on the island of Java in Indonesia. A collection of similar filigree rings from Java, currently preserved in the Yale University Art Gallery, is generally dated to approximately the ninth century CE. In contrast, the Changsha specimen originates from an Eastern Jin tomb, dated more than four centuries earlier than the Javanese examples. This earlier chronological placement offers a significant reference point for re-evaluating the origins and development of filigree craftsmanship in Java. The discovery indicates that filigree gold working techniques may have spread through maritime exchange networks earlier than previously acknowledged. It exemplifies material cultural interactions between China and Southeast Asia along the early Maritime Silk Road and suggests that goldsmithing technologies and products linked to Southeast Asian traditions could have been transported into inland China via extensive trade routes. Consequently, this ring offers novel archaeological evidence for investigating early technological exchange and artistic transmission between China and Southeast Asia.