Have you ever heard of the real "thousand-year-old wine"? In Yemaotai, Faku County, Liaoning Province, archaeologists actually dug up two jars of thousand-year-old wine! In 1974, this incident shocked the entire archaeological community and made ordinary people full of curiosity about ancient culture. Imagine how those wines have quietly settled over the long years, and how they have been discovered by chance? This is not just a simple excavation, it is almost a time travel, allowing us to travel back in time to the Liao Dynasty. How were these amazing ancient wines discovered, and what are the hidden stories?
In the faraway county of Faku in Liaoning Province, there is a place called Yemaotai, which is not only beautiful in scenery, but also hides rich historical relics. On an ordinary day in April 1974, local villagers Zhao Pengquan and his father Zhao Wenshan were pulling stones on the southern slope of Xishan when they accidentally found large green bricks on the ground. These bricks are unusual in that they are painted in red and white. Their curiosity was thoroughly stimulated and they decided to dig deeper, but unexpectedly, this excavation was not just a stone, but a long-buried history.
As the excavation deepened, more and more treasures were unearthed, including bracelets, porcelain, etc. This sudden discovery made the whole village excited. With this batch of precious cultural relics in their arms, they went to the buyer of the Liaoning Provincial Cultural Relics Store with enthusiasm. This sudden treasure discovery also caught the attention of professional archaeologists. Soon, the director of the Faku County Cultural Center personally led the team to Yemaotai Village.
This excavation is not only for treasure hunting, but also for the traces of history. Archaeologists soon discovered a spectacular single-chamber stone chamber tomb at the eastern end of the northern mountain of Yemaotai. Although the frescoes of this tomb have been blurred, some details such as the costumes and decorations of the attendants can still be faintly discerned. These details all indicate that this is a tomb of great historical value.
What's even more amazing is that the archaeological team found two jars of ancient wine sealed in yellow-glazed porcelain in the tomb. Not only are these ancient wines intact, but they still exude a faint aroma after a thousand years of silence. The archaeologists cautiously took a small sip, amazed at how surprisingly good the taste of the wine had been. This makes people think about how advanced the brewing and preservation techniques of these ancients were!
With further excavations, this excavation activity gradually revealed more secrets about the Liao Dynasty. It turned out that the Yemaotai area was a very important place during the Liao Dynasty, not only as a hunting ground for the Khitan nobles, but also for many nobles who chose to build their own mausoleums here. And this newly excavated tomb belongs to the Xiao family during the Liao Dynasty, which is a noble family with close ties with Yelu Abaoji, the founding emperor of the Liao Dynasty.
Archaeologists have also found many beautiful frescoes in this tomb, which although some of the colors have faded over time, the costumes and expressions of the characters in the paintings can still be clearly seen. These murals are not only works of art, but also testimonies of history, telling us about an almost forgotten history. Through these murals, we can get a glimpse of the way of life of the Liao people, their social structure and cultural characteristics.
And about the name of Ye Maotai, it also has its special origin. According to archaeologists, "Ye Mao" may have originated from the natural landscape of the place where trees were once lush and the ecological environment was good. In ancient folklore, Yemaotai was once considered a place of hidden treasure, and the wonders of the mountains and rivers here attracted the attention of many treasure hunters and explorers.
Interestingly, there are also some legends about the Humanfoot badger circulating in the area. The Humanfoot Badger is a legendary animal that is said to be very good at finding tombs and treasures. In the past, some families of tomb robbers would even raise this mysterious animal, hoping to use their natural abilities to discover more ancient tombs. In Yemaotai, the legend of the human-footed badger is also full of mystery, and these legends are closely connected with the local history and culture, adding a lot of mystery to Yemaotai.
Through this excavation, people not only have a deeper understanding of the history of the Liao Dynasty, but also have a new understanding of the wisdom and technology of the ancient people. It can be seen from the well-preserved ancient liquor that the ancients had a very high attainment in winemaking and sealing technology. These discoveries are not only a testimony to history, but also a valuable asset of cultural heritage, and they give us the opportunity to feel more intuitively the living conditions and cultural achievements of people thousands of years ago.
Through this archaeological excavation in Yemaotai, we not only relive the glorious history of the Liao Dynasty, but also gain a deeper understanding of the lifestyle and wisdom of the ancient people. These two thousand-year-old wines are not only a witness to history, but also a symbol of cultural inheritance.