The liquid has a blue-green color and has traces of more than 2400 organic compounds.
Archaeologists in northern China have discovered a bronze bottle with 2300 year old alcoholic drink. The discovery, reported in a published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, was made at the Shanjiabao Cemetery, near the city of Guyuan, close to a section of the Great Wall of China.
The tomb dates from the end of the Warring States Periodbetween 475 and 221 BC, a turbulent era marked by wars, political upheavals, and the eventual unification of China under the Qin Dynasty.
Inside one of the graves, researchers found a bronze vase with a characteristic garlic-shaped neck, containing approximately 3.7 liters of a liquid blue-green in color. Although odorless after more than two millennia underground, laboratory analyzes suggest that the liquid was once a cereal-based alcoholic drink, similar to old beer.
Scientists analyzed both the liquid and the sediment inside the bottle, identifying more than 2400 organic compounds. Microscopic analysis also revealed starch grains, traces of yeast and plant remains associated with millet and cereals from the Triticeae family, such as wheat or barley.
Researchers warn that the drink would likely bear little resemblance to modern beer. Chemical analysis showed high lactic acid levelsoxalic acid and tartaric acid, suggesting that the drink could have a sour or acidic taste. However, scientists note that thousands of years of chemical changes within the tomb may have altered its original flavor profile, explains .
The discovery adds to growing evidence that fermented drinks played an important role in ancient societies. Historians believe that beer-like drinks arose independently in different regions of the world around the same time that humans began to domesticate cereals, approximately 12 thousand years ago.
Some archaeologists argue that beer production may even have encouraged the development of agriculture itselfwith early communities growing grains not only for bread but also to produce alcohol for ceremonies, social gatherings, and ritual practices.
In many ancient civilizations, fermented drinks also had practical functions. Because alcohol inhibited harmful pathogens, beer and similar beverages were often safer to consume than water untreated. Alcoholic beverages also provided calories and could help strengthen social bonds within communities.
