Inkstone
An inkstone (simplified Chinese:砚; traditional Chinese:硯; pinyin: yàn) (simplified Chinese:砚台; traditional Chinese:硯臺; pinyin:yàn tái) (Japanese:硯 suzuri) (Korean:벼루 byoru) is a stone mortar for the grinding and containment of ink.
In addition to stone, inkstones are also manufactured from clay, bronze, iron, and porcelain. The device evolved from a rubbing tool used for rubbing dyes dating around 6000 to 7000 years ago.