The Kangma Mapuco Ruins, located on the shores of Mapuco Lake in Kangma County, Tibet, stand at an altitude of 4,410–4,430 meters. This archaeological site, dating back 4,000 to 2,000 years ago, is divided into four distinct phases. One of the most intriguing discoveries comes from the second phase (approximately 4,000–3,300 years ago), where a significant amount of faience—commonly known as “glass beads”—was found.
Although faience resembles glass in both appearance and composition, it is not actually glass. The primary ingredient is quartz sand (silicon dioxide), which remains in a crystalline state. In glass production, raw materials are melted completely before being shaped, transforming into a non-crystalline structure.
Marpu Tso Ruins in Khangmar: A Fascinating Archaeological Discovery
Quartz sand has a high melting point, requiring temperatures above 1,700°C to liquefy—far beyond what ancient technologies could achieve. To lower the melting point, fluxing agents were used. In ancient China, lead-barium glass was common, while sodium-calcium glass was prevalent in other regions. These different types of glass were created using fluxing agents such as lead oxide (Pb₃O₄) or soda ash (Na₂CO₃).
If the raw materials are not fully melted, they retain a crystalline structure and cannot be classified as true glass. Faience falls into this category. It is made by mixing quartz sand with a small amount of alkaline water, shaping it, and then heating it to around 900°C. The surface layer melts to form a glossy glaze, while the internal quartz particles fuse together but remain crystalline inside.
Marpu Tso Ruins in Khangmar: A Fascinating Archaeological Discovery
Unlike glass, faience is shaped first and then fired, making this another key distinction. The production of faience dates back to 4,000 BCE in Mesopotamia and Egypt and 3,000 BCE in India. In China, artificial colored beads and tubes from the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046–771 BCE) have been identified as faience. True glass production did not emerge in China until the late Spring and Autumn period (around 5th century BCE).
This discovery at the Kangma Mapuco Ruins provides new insights into early technological exchanges and material culture in ancient Tibet.
Kangma Mapuco Ruins: A Window into Ancient Tibetan Cultural Exchange
Alongside faience, archaeologists also uncovered bronze artifacts, millet, broomcorn millet, and rice at the Kangma Mapuco Ruins. These findings suggest early cultural exchanges, indicating that the late Neolithic Tibetan Plateau was far from isolated.
Situated at the crossroads between the Tibetan Plateau and South Asia, the Mapuco site was a hub of cultural interaction. Notably, it has yielded some of the earliest foreign artifacts ever found on the plateau, with well-documented stratigraphic layers and precise dating. These include rice, millet, broomcorn millet, seashells, ivory, sheep remains, bronze objects, steatite beads, faience, carnelian, and more. These discoveries not only fill gaps in our understanding of transcontinental exchanges in ancient Tibet but also provide valuable insights into the adaptation and evolution of local cultures in extreme environments.
One particularly significant find is a flexed burial from the first phase of Mapuco (5,000–4,000 years ago), marking the earliest known example of such a burial practice in Tibet.
Unveiling the Marpu Tso Ruins: A Window into Tibet’s Ancient Past
Scientific analysis suggests that the ancient inhabitants of Mapuco were genetically typical of East Asian populations and represent an ancestral group of Tibetan highlanders. According to Figure 6 in the research, there is a strong likelihood that they were the ancestors of today’s Tibetan people.
In every sense, the name “Mapuco” seems quite fitting—it is not just an interesting name but also a site of remarkable discoveries. With each new revelation, another layer of Tibet’s prehistoric mysteries is unveiled.
