Was 0 A Good Year?

IOL ^ | 6-21-2003

[blam]

Was 0 a good year?

June 21 2003 at 09:45AM

Beijing - Aged wines don't get much older than this.

Archaeologists in western China discovered five earthenware jars of 2 000-year-old rice wine in an ancient tomb and its bouquet was still strong enough to perk up the nose, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Saturday.

Xinhua said five litres of the almost clear blue-tinged liquor was found, enough to allow researchers their best opportunity yet to study ancient distilling techniques.

Archaeologist Sun Fuzhi was quoted saying the tomb dated from the early Western Han dynasty, which held sway over much of mainland China between 206BC and 25AD. Liquor from the period has been found in other tombs but never as well preserved, he said.

Liquor made from rice or sorghum grains were a major part of ceremonies and ritual sacrifices in ancient China, with elaborate bronze cups and decanters cast specifically for their use.

Several drinking vessels, along with bronze bells, more than 100 jade pieces and part of a human skull were found in the tomb, which Sun said probably belonged to a member of the Han nobility. - Sapa-AP

[headsonpikes]

I hate to be pedantic, but there was no 'Year 0', of course.

[blam]

"I hate to be pedantic, but there was no 'Year 0', of course."

To steal a phrase, "I post'em, you decide."

[The Hon. Galahad Threepwood]

[Ken H]

The secret to preserving wine is to keep the cap screwed on tight.

[MineralMan]

"I hate to be pedantic, but there was no 'Year 0', of course."

It's silly, in any case, since the Chinese calendar goes back some 5000+ years. We're so presumptuous to believe that history revolves around Western civilization. Feh!

[gcruse]

It's especially annoying when the subject is Chinese history.

[DeuceTraveler]

I'd like a sip.

[dandelion]

Really! C'mon people, use the STARDATE for crying out loud...

[MineralMan]

"It's especially annoying when the subject is Chinese history."

Yup. Apparently, this reporter managed to miss out on the history of half the planet during his/her studies.

While we were grubbing around for roots and berries, the Chinese were shooting off fireworks and creating some of the most amazing art in human history. They managed to fall behind, later on, due to their political system, but to ignore the rich history of China is to be about as provincial as one can be.

[tjg]

Well, what would be the proper way to state it? The year immediatley preceeding the year 1?

[headsonpikes]

You mean the Year 1, B.C.? That year?

1AD is the year following 1BC.

[MineralMan]

"You mean the Year 1, B.C.? That year?

1AD is the year following 1BC."

What do you suppose it was called at the time. Seems like the Jewish calendar goes back a lot further than that. Perhaps you should say that _Christians_ use those dates. Lots of folks don't.

[headsonpikes]

Okay. Lots of folks don't. At the time, reign dates were the usual method of accounting for years. It was centuries before reckoning from the birth of Christ became the norm in Christian Europe.

BCE - 'Before Common Era' is the politically correct way of expressing it, now.

[tjg]

Thanks. My thinking was that Year 1 started on Christs first birthday, making the year he was born zero. But that would give us an extra year in the first century. Doesn't work.

[gitmo]

In the Western Calendar number system 1 - 1 = -1

[SunkenCiv]

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