Central to comprehending the genesis of rice cultivation and the nascent stages of alcohol fermentation in ancient China’s Lower Yangzi region is the Shangshan culture. To investigate these critical aspects, researchers meticulously examined artifacts unearthed from the early stratum of the Shangshan site, with chronological data pointing to approximately 10,000 to 9,000 years Before Present. Through the rigorous analysis of microscopic remnants, encompassing phytoliths, starch granules, and fungi, found in direct association with ceramic vessels, compelling evidence emerged indicating that the inhabitants of the Shangshan community not only utilized rice as a primary food source but also as a fundamental component in the production of fermented elixirs. This discovery signifies the earliest documented instance of alcohol fermentation techniques originating in East Asia.
The site locations and artifacts of the Shangshan culture: (A) locations of the Shangshan, Qiaotou, and Xiaohuangshan sites (dots) and the distribution area of the Shangshan culture (red circle); (B) selected pottery sherds analyzed: 1 – cup sherd; 2 – jar sherd; 3 – jar sherd; 4 – rim sherd from sand-tempered cooking pot; 5 – large basin sherd; 6 – base of the ring foot bowl; (C) corresponding complete vessels: 1 – globular jar; 2 – ring foot bowl; 3 – cup; 4 – flat-based jar; 5 – large basin. Image credit: Liu et al., doi: 10.1073/pnas.2412274121.
The archaeological discourse surrounding the origins of rice domestication has seen considerable investigation and debate in recent temporal contexts.
A general consensus among archaeologists, informed by extant data, posits that the initial phases of rice domestication transpired within the Lower and Middle Yangzi River basins of China.
The Shangshan culture, situated in Zhejiang province, stands as a pivotal locale where early rice domestication took root.
While the precise extent of rice domestication remains an active area of scholarly inquiry, recent findings suggest that this transformative process commenced at an early juncture.
In a novel investigation, Professor Leping Jiang, affiliated with the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, alongside his research associates, addressed the material and societal paradigms that likely exerted significant influence on the early exploitation of rice and the subsequent brewing of alcoholic beverages within the Shangshan culture.
The cohort of researchers undertook the analysis of microfossil residues meticulously recovered from ceramic vessels dating to the earliest period of the Shangshan site.
“These ceramic fragments were associated with a diverse array of vessel typologies, encompassing those designated for fermentation, serving, containment, culinary preparation, and material processing,” stated Professor Jiang.
“We executed microfossil extraction and subsequent analysis on residues adherent to the internal surfaces of the pottery, as well as samples from the pottery fabric itself and the surrounding sediment of the cultural layer.”
“Our analytical focus was directed towards the identification of components such as phytoliths, starch granules, and fungal elements, thereby furnishing crucial insights into the functional applications of the pottery and the food processing methodologies prevalent at the archaeological site,” commented Professor Li Liu of Stanford University.
The examination of phytoliths revealed a pronounced presence of phytoliths derived from domesticated rice within the recovered residues and the pottery matrix.
“This corroborating evidence strongly suggests that rice constituted a fundamental plant resource for the Shangshan populace,” affirmed Professor Jianping Zhang, a researcher attached to the Institute of Geology and Geophysics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
“Additional findings also indicated the incorporation of rice husks and foliage into the production of pottery, further underscoring the intrinsic significance of rice within the fabric of Shangshan society.”
The research team identified a spectrum of starch granules within the ceramic residues, including those originating from rice, Job’s tears, barnyard grass, Triticeae species, acorns, and various lily varieties.
A substantial proportion of these starch granules exhibited characteristics indicative of enzymatic degradation and gelatinization, hallmarks typically associated with fermentation processes.
Furthermore, the scientists cataloged a profusion of fungal entities, including *Monascus* molds and yeast cells, with certain specimens displaying developmental stages consistent with active fermentation.
These specific fungi are intrinsically linked to the qu starters employed in traditional brewing methodologies, analogous to those utilized in the production of hongqujiu (red yeast rice wine) in China.
The investigative team meticulously mapped the spatial distribution of *Monascus* and yeast remnants across distinct pottery vessel typologies, observing a statistically significant higher concentration within globular jars in comparison to a cooking pot and a processing basin.
This differential distribution pattern strongly implies a functional specialization of vessel types, wherein globular jars were intentionally engineered for the purpose of alcohol fermentation.
The unearthed data collectively suggest that the Shangshan inhabitants implemented multifaceted subsistence strategies during the nascent stages of rice domestication, ingeniously employing ceramic vessels, with a particular emphasis on globular jars, for the brewing of qu-based rice alcoholic beverages.
The emergence of this advanced brewing technology within the early Shangshan culture was intimately intertwined with the process of rice domestication and the prevailing warm, humid climatic conditions of the early Holocene epoch.
“The availability of domesticated rice provided a stable and consistent substrate for fermentation, while the propitious climatic regimes fostered the development of qu-based fermentation technologies, which are inherently reliant on the biological activity of filamentous fungi,” elucidated Professor Liu.
To rigorously exclude any possibility of exogenous contamination from surrounding soil, the authors performed analyses on control sediment samples. These control analyses revealed a substantially diminished presence of starch and fungal residues when juxtaposed with the concentrations found in the pottery residues.
This crucial observation serves to bolster the conclusion that the identified residues were directly indicative of fermentation-related activities.
Contemporary fermentation experiments, employing rice, *Monascus*, and yeast under controlled conditions, further corroborated the research findings by demonstrating a morphological congruence with the fungal remnants identified on the Shangshan pottery.
“It is highly probable that these alcoholic beverages played a pivotal function in ceremonial gatherings, thereby underscoring their profound ritualistic significance and potentially acting as a catalyst for the intensified utilization and widespread cultivation of rice throughout Neolithic China,” posited Professor Liu.
“The irrefutable evidence of rice alcohol fermentation at the Shangshan site represents the earliest documented manifestation of this technology within East Asia, offering novel perspectives on the intricate interdependencies between rice domestication, the production of alcoholic beverages, and the formative stages of social organization during the early Holocene period in China.”
The culmination of these findings has been published in the esteemed scientific journal, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Li Liu et al. 2024. Identification of 10,000-year-old rice beer at Shangshan in the Lower Yangzi River valley of China. PNAS 121 (51): e2412274121; doi: 10.1073/pnas.2412274121
