On May 11, 868 C.E., something remarkable happened in China that would revolutionise how historians understood the history of printing. The Buddhist scripture called the Diamond Sutra was printed and disseminated by an individual named Wang Jie. While this might have been perceived as a religious practice at the time, many years later, it would become one of the most critical achievements in human history.
What makes the Diamond Sutra unique is not just its age but its preservation as well. This scroll dates back over 1,100 years and was eventually buried within a cave located in northwest China. Years passed until it was discovered by researchers who quickly realised that they had found the oldest surviving complete printed book with a definite publication date.
