Ding food vessel, 3rd century BCE, 6 3/4 × 8 3/4 × 7 7/16 in., lb. ( × × cm, kg), Bronze, China, 3rd century BCE, The food cauldron, known as a ding, was the most prominent type of ritual vessel during China’s Bronze Age. It was used to cook, hold, and season meat during ceremonies devoted to ancestral spirits. The vertical handles allowed the vessel to be lowered and removed from an open fire. As part of the funerary practices, such bronze ding were buried with the deceased. The number of ding constituting a set depended on the status of the tomb occupant.

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