They found booze and pot at the same time!
The pot in the shape of a swan. (Photo courtesy of Sanmenxia's Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology)
Posted on 09/20/2020 8:19:18 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
After testing, Chinese researchers have confirmed that the 3,000 ml of unknown liquid found in a bronze pot unearthed in central China's Henan province is alcohol dating to the early Western Han dynasty (206 B.C. - A.D. 24).
In a tomb in the city of Sanmenxia, archaeologists discovered the pot with a curved neck in the shape of a swan this May.
Researchers from the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) also found that the alcohol was similar to the medicinal liquor recorded in an ancient medical book discovered in the Mawangdui Tombs of the Han Dynasty in Changsha, central China's Hunan province.
Testing will continue, including a nitrogen isotopic analysis, to obtain more information on raw materials, production processes and functions of the ancient alcohol, according to Yang Yimin, a professor with the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology University under the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
"A bronze pot of this kind is rarely seen. The test report from the sample indicates that the pot was used to hold alcohol," said Zheng Lichao, head of Sanmenxia's Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.
From the tomb, a bronze mirror, a bronze basin and swords made of iron and jade were also unearthed by archaeologists.
(Excerpt) Read more at en.people.cn ...
They found booze and pot at the same time!
The pot in the shape of a swan. (Photo courtesy of Sanmenxia's Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology)
Often in the past, China was split up, ruled by a bunch of different dynasties, with the borders more or less along ethnic lines. But I think the Han was a solo dynasty. What's that, in the distance? Was that -- a rimshot?
Beautiful!
Swan drwan booze tastes the best
You have to get those nitrogen isotypes just right.
That pot must have an air-tight seal.
And no stems or seeds.
Her vision was twice as good as before, because she saw everything double!
It seems like a good marketing idea for a modern product in China. Or among ornithologists.
If they're right, they're great for a perfectly mixed 7-7-7.
Did anyone taste it? Any better than the moonshiner’s booze?
I suspect that the alcohol would react to the bronze, at least until a patina was formed over the metal.
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Is the actual opening of the "pot" where that ring around the neck is?
And, was the curved "neck" a tight-fitting plug that sealed that opening?
If so, I can see how a tight metal-to-metal press fit -- enhanced by a thin layer of corrosion filling any gap -- might have made an effective seal...
TXnMA
Probably from one of those ancient swan dives.
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Wild Swan Whiskey?
We hadn't seen that spirit here since AD 29.
Now, if they can find some Han Dynasty beer, they'll be able to enjoy a one-of-a-kind boilermaker.
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