Posted on 12/07/2004 12:32:04 PM PST by Red Badger
WASHINGTON - The Chinese were consuming fermented beverages — possibly wine — as long as 9,000 years ago, according to scientists who used modern techniques to peer back through the mists of time.Early evidence of beer and wine had been traced to the ancient Middle East. But the new discovery indicates that the Chinese may have been making their drinks even earlier.“Fermented beverages are central to a lot of our religions, social relations, medicine, in many cultures around the world,” said Patrick E. McGovern of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. These drinks “have played key roles in the development of human culture and technology, contributing to the advance and intensification of agriculture, horticulture and food-processing technologies,” he reported. The discovery, by a team of researchers led by McGovern, is being published online in this week’s early edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Artifacts from stone-age village McGovern’s team collected pieces of 16 pottery vessels at Jiahu, an early New Stone Age village in China’s Henan province. This is the same site where archaeologists have found the earliest evidence of musical instruments, including an ancient flute. The ceramics were dated to about 7,000 B.C. — 9,000 years ago — and the scientists analyzed residue that had collected inside the pots. The results showed chemicals that matched residues from modern rice and rice wine, grape wine, grape tannins and ancient and modern herbs. There were also indications of hawthorn fruit. “The most straightforward interpretation of these data is that the Jiahu vessels contained a consistently processed beverage made from rice, honey and a fruit,” the team concluded. The team also reported on an analysis of 3,000-year-old liquid found in sealed bronze vessels from the Chinese city of Anyang.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Is this the same article as yesterday's?
Impossible. Wasn't the earth made in 4004 BC? /sarc
Seems to be a derivative of yesterday's article by Roger Highfield, Science Editor, the Telegraph.
It couldn't have possibly fermented sometime during the 9,000 years?
Bring us some Fresh Wine!
In honor of ol' Creole Williams:
There might be a little dust on the bottle,
But don't let it fool you about what's inside
I searched for it before I posted it......
I know. The search function is not entirely satisfactory.
Your post was about as original as mine.
Note: this topic is from 12/07/2004. Thanks Red Badger.
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