A new multidisciplinary study published in Nature Archaeology has identified a previously unknown maritime trade network dubbed the 'Jade and Magnetite Road.' By using high-precision lead-isotope analysis on 4,000-year-old stone adzes and ornaments, researchers have traced the flow of raw materials from the Yangtze River Delta in China to prehistoric coastal settlements in the northern Philippines.
This discovery provides the earliest empirical evidence of long-distance maritime exchange between Neolithic China and the Philippine archipelago. The research suggests that ancient seafaring communities used specialized magnetite-tempered pottery as a commodity of exchange for high-quality nephrite jade, fundamentally altering our understanding of early Southeast Asian maritime navigation and economic integration.