When your relatives start complaining about Thanksgiving leftovers tell them this report from Beijing China. The state press reported on Monday that archaeologist on a dig near the ancient city of Xian discovered a 2,400 year old pot of soup sealed in a three legged bronze cooking vessel.
Liu Daiyun of the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology is quoted as saying" It's the first discovery of bone soup in Chinese archaeological history."The discovery will play an important role in studying the eating habits and culture of the Warring States Period (475-221 BC).
The bone soup was discovered in a small sealed bronze vessel during a tomb excavation which adheres to the international laws on antiquities to make way for an extended area of the airport in Xian home of the country's famed terracotta warriors. Upon further investigation it was discovered that the liguid and bones had turned green due to oxidation of the bronze pot. Scientist will be conducting further mass spectrum analysis to confirm the liquid was indeed soup and identify the ingredients.
A secondary artifact was discovered in the same tomb a bronze vessel that contained a odorless liquid believed to be rice wine, which could have belonged to either a member of the land-owning class ( nobles) or a military officer.
Xian served as ancient China's capitol for over 1,100 years, is famed for the terracotta warriors at the burial site of Qin Shihuang Di who presided over the unification of China in 221 BC and declared himself emperor. If the occupant of the tomb was not a contemporary of Shi Huang Di and depending on the designs upon the bronze cooking pot it is well within the realm of the possible that the find may date back as far as the Shang Dynasty.
Liu Daiyun of the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology is quoted as saying" It's the first discovery of bone soup in Chinese archaeological history."The discovery will play an important role in studying the eating habits and culture of the Warring States Period (475-221 BC).
The bone soup was discovered in a small sealed bronze vessel during a tomb excavation which adheres to the international laws on antiquities to make way for an extended area of the airport in Xian home of the country's famed terracotta warriors. Upon further investigation it was discovered that the liguid and bones had turned green due to oxidation of the bronze pot. Scientist will be conducting further mass spectrum analysis to confirm the liquid was indeed soup and identify the ingredients.
A secondary artifact was discovered in the same tomb a bronze vessel that contained a odorless liquid believed to be rice wine, which could have belonged to either a member of the land-owning class ( nobles) or a military officer.
Xian served as ancient China's capitol for over 1,100 years, is famed for the terracotta warriors at the burial site of Qin Shihuang Di who presided over the unification of China in 221 BC and declared himself emperor. If the occupant of the tomb was not a contemporary of Shi Huang Di and depending on the designs upon the bronze cooking pot it is well within the realm of the possible that the find may date back as far as the Shang Dynasty.
