Residues from 6,000-year-old alcohol production found in Shanxi pottery

Residues from alcohol production dating back approximately 6,000 to 5,500 years have been identified in pottery unearthed at the Xinghuacun archaeological site in Fenyang, Shanxi province, according to an announcement from the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology on Friday.

The latest discovery was made by ancient alcohol researchers from Stanford University and the institute. Liu Li, a professor at Stanford, said the team analyzed pottery unearthed at a site that dated back to the middle Yangshao period, about 5,000 to 7,000 years ago. "The study confirmed that Xinghuacun was already producing alcohol 6,000 to 5,500 years ago, with the brewing-related microorganisms showing an unbroken lineage," she said, adding that the alcohol "was brewed from local produce, with feasting becoming a clan ritual."

The Xinghuacun site was first discovered in 1982. Located in Xinghuacun township of Fenyang, the area's liquor-making tradition has been celebrated in Chinese poetry since the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

In 2022, the institute excavated a set of pottery about 300 meters northeast of Fenghaogou village, which lies along the northern edge of the site's development control zone and within the central area of its Yangshao Culture remains. The set included two bottles with narrow mouths and pointed bottoms, two painted bowls, and six jars.

The researchers analyzed residues found in the pottery and found that they dated to the middle Yangshao period. They found that the pointed-bottom bottles were mainly used to brew alcohol and also served as drinking vessels for consuming alcohol through reed straws. Some of the jars were associated with alcohol brewing or storage, while the bowls were likely linked to feasting activities.

All of these pottery vessels came from an ordinary residential site, suggesting that brewing and drinking were widespread practices in Yangshao communities. "The research fills a gap in the archaeology of prehistoric brewing in the Yellow River basin in Shanxi," said Zheng Yuan, deputy director of the institute. "It confirms the core role of alcohol in prehistoric community exchanges and the building of ritual civilization, and provides important support for tracing the continuous development of Chinese civilization."

Li Jialu contributed to this story.