A New Filtered Alcoholic Beverage: Residues Evidence From the Qingtai Site (ca. 5,500–4,750 cal. BP) in Henan Province, Central China
Recent studies have provided evidence of alcohol production and consumption in 16 sites in northern China during the Neolithic period, focusing on the Yangshao Culture (ca. 7,000–5,000 cal. BP). Yet, the comparison of similarities and differences in brewing technology and drinking patterns within th...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-05-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2022.884630/full |
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| author | Jingwen Liao Jingwen Liao Yuzhang Yang Wanfa Gu Ling Yao Qingli Wei Wuhong Luo Yingxue Gong Lanpo Ding Chunguang Gu Juzhong Zhang |
| author_facet | Jingwen Liao Jingwen Liao Yuzhang Yang Wanfa Gu Ling Yao Qingli Wei Wuhong Luo Yingxue Gong Lanpo Ding Chunguang Gu Juzhong Zhang |
| author_sort | Jingwen Liao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Recent studies have provided evidence of alcohol production and consumption in 16 sites in northern China during the Neolithic period, focusing on the Yangshao Culture (ca. 7,000–5,000 cal. BP). Yet, the comparison of similarities and differences in brewing technology and drinking patterns within the Yangshao Culture still needs more supporting information from case studies in different regions. In this paper, 17 pottery samples excavated from the Yangshao Culture site of Qingtai (ca. 5,500–4,750 cal. BP) in the central part of Henan Province were analyzed for microfossils (starch grains, phytoliths, fungi) and organic acids, on the basis of the theoretical model constructed from our simulation experiments. The results revealed a mixed filtered alcoholic beverage, likely to be fermented by fruit and/or honey. The ingredients were mainly foxtail millet, rice, Job’s tears, Triticeae, snake gourd roots, lotus roots, legumes, nuts, fruits, and/or honey. What’s more, we found that the jiandiping amphora from Qingtai was not likely used for brewing or drinking. In terms of prehistoric drinking habits, in the large-scale settlement of the late Yangshao Culture in China, it is possible that people drank filtered alcohol alone or that a few people drank filtered alcohol poured from the painted bottle, indicating a switch from communal drinking to individual drinking. This study sheds light on the similarities and differences in brewing techniques, fermentation ingredients, and drinking patterns among different regions of the late Neolithic Yangshao Culture, and deepens our understanding of alcoholic beverages in the early Chinese civilized societies. |
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| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
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| series | Frontiers in Earth Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-fb8eea0f293d4c819990bddcf6363af52022-12-22T02:53:29ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Earth Science2296-64632022-05-011010.3389/feart.2022.884630884630A New Filtered Alcoholic Beverage: Residues Evidence From the Qingtai Site (ca. 5,500–4,750 cal. BP) in Henan Province, Central ChinaJingwen Liao0Jingwen Liao1Yuzhang Yang2Wanfa Gu3Ling Yao4Qingli Wei5Wuhong Luo6Yingxue Gong7Lanpo Ding8Chunguang Gu9Juzhong Zhang10Department for the History of Science and Scientific Archaeology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, ChinaDepartment of Archaeological Sciences, Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Leiden, NetherlandsDepartment for the History of Science and Scientific Archaeology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, ChinaZhengzhou Municipal Institution of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Zhengzhou, ChinaHubei Provincial Institution of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Wuhan, ChinaZhengzhou Municipal Institution of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Zhengzhou, ChinaDepartment for the History of Science and Scientific Archaeology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, ChinaDepartment for the History of Science and Scientific Archaeology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, ChinaZhengzhou Municipal Institution of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Zhengzhou, ChinaDepartment for the History of Science and Scientific Archaeology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, ChinaDepartment for the History of Science and Scientific Archaeology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, ChinaRecent studies have provided evidence of alcohol production and consumption in 16 sites in northern China during the Neolithic period, focusing on the Yangshao Culture (ca. 7,000–5,000 cal. BP). Yet, the comparison of similarities and differences in brewing technology and drinking patterns within the Yangshao Culture still needs more supporting information from case studies in different regions. In this paper, 17 pottery samples excavated from the Yangshao Culture site of Qingtai (ca. 5,500–4,750 cal. BP) in the central part of Henan Province were analyzed for microfossils (starch grains, phytoliths, fungi) and organic acids, on the basis of the theoretical model constructed from our simulation experiments. The results revealed a mixed filtered alcoholic beverage, likely to be fermented by fruit and/or honey. The ingredients were mainly foxtail millet, rice, Job’s tears, Triticeae, snake gourd roots, lotus roots, legumes, nuts, fruits, and/or honey. What’s more, we found that the jiandiping amphora from Qingtai was not likely used for brewing or drinking. In terms of prehistoric drinking habits, in the large-scale settlement of the late Yangshao Culture in China, it is possible that people drank filtered alcohol alone or that a few people drank filtered alcohol poured from the painted bottle, indicating a switch from communal drinking to individual drinking. This study sheds light on the similarities and differences in brewing techniques, fermentation ingredients, and drinking patterns among different regions of the late Neolithic Yangshao Culture, and deepens our understanding of alcoholic beverages in the early Chinese civilized societies.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2022.884630/fullprehistoric alcoholic beveragesqingtai siteyangshao culturemicrofossil and organic acid analysesbrewing technologydrinking pattern |
| spellingShingle | Jingwen Liao Jingwen Liao Yuzhang Yang Wanfa Gu Ling Yao Qingli Wei Wuhong Luo Yingxue Gong Lanpo Ding Chunguang Gu Juzhong Zhang A New Filtered Alcoholic Beverage: Residues Evidence From the Qingtai Site (ca. 5,500–4,750 cal. BP) in Henan Province, Central China Frontiers in Earth Science prehistoric alcoholic beverages qingtai site yangshao culture microfossil and organic acid analyses brewing technology drinking pattern |
| title | A New Filtered Alcoholic Beverage: Residues Evidence From the Qingtai Site (ca. 5,500–4,750 cal. BP) in Henan Province, Central China |
| title_full | A New Filtered Alcoholic Beverage: Residues Evidence From the Qingtai Site (ca. 5,500–4,750 cal. BP) in Henan Province, Central China |
| title_fullStr | A New Filtered Alcoholic Beverage: Residues Evidence From the Qingtai Site (ca. 5,500–4,750 cal. BP) in Henan Province, Central China |
| title_full_unstemmed | A New Filtered Alcoholic Beverage: Residues Evidence From the Qingtai Site (ca. 5,500–4,750 cal. BP) in Henan Province, Central China |
| title_short | A New Filtered Alcoholic Beverage: Residues Evidence From the Qingtai Site (ca. 5,500–4,750 cal. BP) in Henan Province, Central China |
| title_sort | new filtered alcoholic beverage residues evidence from the qingtai site ca 5 500 4 750 cal bp in henan province central china |
| topic | prehistoric alcoholic beverages qingtai site yangshao culture microfossil and organic acid analyses brewing technology drinking pattern |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2022.884630/full |
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