Technology in ancient vases helps Stone Age Chinese 'beyond time'

According to Ancient Origins, a technology for mass-brewing beer 4,000 years ago was surprising enough, but its mysterious knock-on effect on human civilization was even more shocking.

Research just published in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences delves into the 4,000-year-old historical period associated with the mass production of red rice beer, a beverage hailed as "mind-improving" and carrying " sacred red".

Ancient pots used to hold beer have been used by generations of Chinese people for millennia

Not only creating a beverage revolution and a new habit, the mass production of beer fueled vibrant trade among Neolithic communities. This trade led to an exchange of likes and dislikes, which in turn stimulated an unexpected civilisation leap.

The civilization of 4,000 years ago in China has long been awestruck by the ruins of cities that have many elements of "timelessness", such as comfortable infrastructure, water and sewerage systems. water, irrigation, elaborate ritual works.

"The new social bonds created by certain cultural practices were the seeds for larger, more advanced, and more ambitious civilizations to emerge. It was mass beer production in China. China thousands of years ago provided "raw material" for large gatherings with social connection value," Ancient Origins cited analysis by research teams from China and the US.

China's Dawebkou culture, created by settlers in present-day Shandong area 4,600 - 6,700 years ago is said to be credited with inventing the recipe for red rice beer, facilitating the brewing. mass production of beer.

They brew beer in large clay tanks known as dakougang, representing a huge step forward in human brewing technology.

"Dakougang is not found in every settlement, but mainly occurs in the large burial sites of the elite. It is unclear exactly where dakougang was produced and whether it was traded as a commercial commodity. " - Professor of Chinese archeology at Stanford University - US Li Liu, co-author, said in the South China Morning Post.

At that time, China's Neolithic elites competed for status by holding large public parties, in which red rice beer was the "soul".