China uncovers 2,400-year-old soup
Chinese archaeologists believe they have discovered a 2,400-year-old
pot of soup, sealed in a bronze cooking vessel and dug up near the
ancient capital of Xian, state press said Monday.
“It’s the first discovery of bone soup in Chinese archaeological
history,” the Global Times quoted Liu Daiyun of the Shaanxi Provincial
Institute of Archaeology as saying.
“The discovery will play an important role in studying the eating
habits and culture of the Warring States Period (475-221 BC).”
The soup and bones were discovered in a small, sealed bronze vessel
in a tomb being excavated to make way for the extension of the airport
in Xian, home to the country’s famed ancient terracotta warriors, the
report said.
The liquid and bones in the vessel had turned green due to the
oxidation of the bronze, it said. Scientists were expected to conduct
further tests to confirm the liquid was indeed soup and to identify the
ingredients.
Archaeologists also dug up another bronze pot that contained an
odourless liquid believed to be wine in the tomb, which could belong to
either a member of the land-owning class or a military officer, the
report said.
AFP |