Two ancient bronze vessels were found in central China, and archeologists believe one of them might be carrying 3.5 liters of wine from 2,000 years ago. One of the two wine vessels was unearthed in the cluster of ancient tombs, discovered by those who are working at the construction site in Luoyang, Henan province back in September.
The excavation is still on-going at the site, wherein 200 tombs were believed to belong from the late Western Han dynasty (206BC-AD8). Deputy researcher Pan Fusheng, from the Luoyang City Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute, said the two bronze vessel - one full of liquid and one empty - have been found in a side chamber of one of the tombs
Pan noted one of the pots was very heavy when they moved it and guessed the 3.5 liters of liquid decanted into a glass vessel it might be wine. The research team believed the wine could be made from fermented grain, and it was produced on that same period as the tomb. They further supported their claim to confirm it by analyzing samples of the "extremely precious" liquid - consumed by Chinese nobility during the ancient times.
However, Pan suggested not to drink such wines from 2,000 years ago because it has a very high chance of being contaminated - although it is still drinkable. Also, the particles on the vessel could have leached into the pale milky wine as time goes by, so the composition might have changed as well. Another reason why they do not allow anyone to drink the wine because it is a huge part of the historical and cultural value
Aside from the wine vessels found in the tomb, there were also valuable funeral objects unearthed there, as per the South China Morning Post. They discovered 60 relics and 20 of which were thought to be valuable funeral objects - some of them might be considered as significant "national treasures." Pan believed the tomb's owner could be a county or prefecture-level official. The relics were sent to a laboratory for assessment, but the main chamber will be restored and relocated.
Meanwhile, a similar finding was also unearthed in Xianyang, Shaanxi province back in March. Archaeologists found a well-sealed bronze vessel in a tomb which is believed to belong from an ordinary resident from the Qin dynasty (221-207BC). The vessel contained a 300ml of milky white liquid, confirmed to be a fermented wine as well.
