The Shengshan culture of the lower Yangtze region of ancient China plays a central role in understanding the origins of rice cultivation and early alcoholic fermentation. To address these questions, the researchers examined artifacts from the early stages of the Kaminoyama site, 10,000 to 9,000 years ago. By analyzing microscopic artifacts such as phytoliths, starch granules, and fungi associated with pottery vessels, the researchers found that people in the upper mountains consumed rice not only as a staple food but also as an ingredient for brewing fermented beverages. Evidence suggesting the use of alcohol fermentation technology in East Asia was also found.
Locations and relics of Shangshan culture sites: (A) Locations of Shangshan, Qiaotou, and Xiaohuangshan ruins (dots) and distribution area of Shangshan culture (red circles). (B) Selected pottery shards analyzed: 1 – Cup shard. 2 – Bottle fragments. 3 – Bottle fragments. 4 – Fragment of the rim of a sandy pot. 5 – Large basin debris. 6 – Base of the ring foot bowl. (C) Corresponding complete containers: 1 – spherical jar; 2 – ring-foot bowl; 3 – cup; 4 – flat base jar. 5 – Large basin. Image credit: Liu others., doi: 10.1073/pnas.2412274121.
The origins of rice cultivation have been the subject of extensive archaeological research and debate in recent years.
Based on existing data, archaeologists generally agree that the early stages of rice domestication occurred in the lower and middle Yangtze River regions of China.
of mountain culture Zhejiang Province represents the region where rice cultivation began in the early stages.
Although the extent of rice domestication is still being investigated, recent studies suggest that this process began early.
In a new study, Professor Leping Jiang and colleagues at the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology address questions related to the material and social mechanisms that may have played an important role in the exploitation and alcohol brewing of early Shangshan rice. is.
The researchers analyzed microfossils associated with early-stage pottery at the Kaminoyama site.
“These fragments were associated with different types of containers, including those for fermentation, serving, storage, cooking, and processing,” Professor Jiang said.
“We carried out microfossil extraction and analysis of residues from the inner surfaces of the pottery, the clay of the pottery, and the sediments of the surrounding cultural layers.”
“We focused on identifying phytoliths, starch grains, and fungi, providing insight into the uses of the pottery and food processing methods employed in the field,” said Professor Li Liu of Stanford University. .
Analysis of phytoliths revealed a significant presence of phytoliths from rice grown in the residue and clay.
“This evidence shows that rice was the main plant resource for the Shangshan people,” said Professor Zhang Jianping, a researcher at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
“There is also evidence that rice husks and leaves were used to make pottery, further proving the essential role of rice in the Joshan culture.”
The researchers found a variety of starch granules in the pottery residue, including rice, grasshopper tears, barnyard grass, Triticaceae, acorns, and lilies.
Many of the starch granules showed signs of enzymatic degradation and gelatinization, which are characteristic of fermentation processes.
Scientists also discovered an abundance of fungal elements, including: Monascus It contained mold and yeast cells, some of which showed developmental stages typical of fermentation.
These fungi are closely related to liquor starters used in traditional brewing methods, such as those used to make Hongjiujiu (Hongjiujiu) in China.
The team analyzed the following distributions: Monascus Yeast also persists in many types of ceramic containers, with higher concentrations observed in spherical jars compared to crock pots and processing tubs.
This distribution suggests that vessel type is closely associated with specific functions, and that the spherical jars were intentionally manufactured for alcoholic fermentation.
This discovery suggests that the Shangyama people employed a wide range of survival strategies during the early stages of rice cultivation, using ceramic vessels, especially spherical pots, to brew cue-based rice alcoholic beverages. Masu.
The emergence of this brewing technique in the early Uyama culture was closely related to the domestication of rice and the warm and humid climate of the early Holocene.
“Domestic rice provided a stable resource for fermentation, while favorable climatic conditions supported the development of qu-based fermentation technology that relies on the growth of filamentous fungi,” Professor Liu said.
To rule out potential contamination from soil, the authors analyzed sediment control samples and found that starch and fungal residues in these samples were significantly lower than pottery residues. It became.
This finding strengthens the conclusion that residues are directly related to fermentation activity.
Modern fermentation experiments using rice, MonascusThe yeast then further validated that finding by demonstrating a morphological match with fungal remains identified on Ueyama pottery.
“These alcoholic beverages likely played a pivotal role in ceremonial feasts, highlighting their ceremonial importance as a potential driver of the intensified use and widespread cultivation of rice in Neolithic China.” Professor Liu said.
“Evidence for alcoholic fermentation of rice at Shangshan indicates that this technology arose earliest in East Asia, and suggests that the complexity between rice cultivation, alcoholic beverage production, and social formation in early Holocene China It provides new insights into the interactions between
of findings will appear in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Li Liu others. 2024. Rice beer dating back 10,000 years has been found in the mountains above the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China. PNAS 121 (51): e2412274121;doi: 10.1073/pnas.2412274121
Source: www.sci.news
