Li Yongqiang, assistant researcher of the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and head of the Pei Ligang site project, disclosed at the 2021 Henan Archaeological Work Achievements Exchange Meeting on the 17th that the latest discovery of the Xinzheng Pei Ligang site is about 8,000 years ago using aspergillus flask fermentation to make wine, which is the earliest empirical evidence of the use of this winemaking technology found in China.
This is a clay pot excavated at the Pei Ligang site in Xinzheng City, Henan Province (file photo).
"The study confirmed the winemaking method of the Pei Ligang people using asparagus flavours as a startling agent, mainly using rice, and using mustard and wheat seeds as raw materials." Li Yongqiang said that previous studies have revealed that the brewing method of Yangshao culture includes the use of aspergillus flavouris as a starter culture, but later than the Pei Ligang culture.
The research team of Professor Liu Li of Stanford University, who participated in the detection and research of the excavations, detected rich Aspergillus flavouria hyphae and closed capsule shells and rice starch grains with fermentation characteristics in the residues of two clay pots, indicating that the clay pots were used for winemaking and wine storage. The site also unearthed a leaker or a leaker for filtering fermented liquor, or a cookware for warm wine.
This is a leaky vessel excavated at the Pei Ligang site in Xinzheng City, Henan Province (file photo).
Archaeological findings show that the ruins of JiaHu Lake in Wuyang, Henan, The Qiaotou site in Yiwu, Zhejiang, and the Site of Zero Mouth in Lintong, Shaanxi, have all unearthed pottery pots for serving wine, dating back to 9,000 to 7,500 years ago.
Li Yongqiang said that the discovery of wine at multiple sites reflects a change or popularity in the way the ancestors process food is processed, and there may be a path of technological dissemination.
Located in Xinzheng City, Henan Province, the Pei Ligang site is about 8,000 years old, is one of the 100 major archaeological discoveries in China in the 20th century, and is now jointly excavated by the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Zhengzhou Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, which has provided a large number of important physical examples for the study of China's agricultural origin and development, pottery making, textile industry, winemaking technology, etc.
"The site also unearthed more plant phloem fibers, and the latest tests show that some of the fibers show blue, black and pink, mainly blue, indicating the existence of the use of pigment dyeing processes." Li Yongqiang said that it is not yet possible to identify the source of the dye, and this mystery is expected to be solved through chemical analysis in the future.
Reporters: Gui Juan, Li Wenzhe
Image courtesy of the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences