Wine dating back a staggering 3,000 years has
been discovered in a nobleman’s tomb in Shaanxi province, northwest China, and
is said to be the earliest wine finding in China's history. As reported on db.com, according to Chinese news wire
Xinhua, the wine was found inside an ancient bronze vessel from the West Zhou
Dynasty (1046 BC - 771 BC) in the city of Baoji.
“The liquid is likely the oldest wine discovered
in China”, said Liu Jun, director of the Baoji Archaeology Institute, which is
in charge of the excavation project. According to Jun, the discovery of the
liquid was made when the vessel – one of six found in the tomb – was shaken. Thus
far, the cover of the vessel remains tightly shut, and with no appropriate
tools to open it at the excavation site, the liquid inside has yet to be
identified.
“Wine became a symbol of corruption during the
Shang Dynasty (1600BC-1046BC) as officials used to drink excessively. This lead
to the emergence of prohibition devices during the succeeding Zhou dynasty,
which were put on the table to remind people to drink in moderation,” Jun said.
A 95cm-long "prohibition device" was unearthed with the wine vessels
in the tomb, the first of its kind unearthed in Baoji.
Excavation work is still underway at the site,
with more bronze devices expected to be discovered in the next few days. The Shang
dynasty's decline is sometimes attributed to its rulers heavy drinking habits. Ancient
wine isn't unknown in China, which boasts one of the oldest wine traditions in
the world. Residue of wine over 9,000 years old has been found in ancient
Chinese vessels.
In a 2004 BBC report,
archaeo-chemist Patrick McGovern reported that the liquid was composed of
“rice, honey and fruit.” The second oldest evidence of wine, dating back 7,000
years, hails from Iran.
