A bronze pot containing a familiar liquid was excavated from a Western Han Dynasty (202 BC to 8 AD) tomb in Luoyang city, Henan province on Nov 5, 2018.
After obtaining the liquid, the archaeologists poured the liquid out of a bronze pot and it gave off an aroma of rich wine.
"There are 3.5 liters of the liquid in the color of transparent yellow. It smells like wine," said Shi Jiazhen, head of the Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Luoyang. He said the discovered content needs to undergo further lab research so the team can accurately determine the ingredients of the liquid.
On the other hand, a large number of color-painted clay pots and bronze artifacts were also exhumed from the tomb, which covers 210 square meters. The remains of the tomb occupant have been preserved, said Shi. He said they will conduct lab research on the items found in the main tomb chamber.
This is not only time a 2,000-year-old liquor was found by archeologists, a similar-aged rice wine had earlier been found in other tombs dating back to the Western Han period.
Liquor made from rice or sorghum grains were a major part of ceremonies and ritual sacrifices in ancient China. It was often contained in elaborate bronze cast vessels.
According to Shi, the bronze pot containing the liquid is one of the two big bronze items unearthed from the tomb. The other is a lamp in the shape of a wild goose, which was the first of its kind found in the city of Luoyang, capital of 13 dynasties, with a history of 3,000 years.
