2,000-year-old
Liquor Unearthed in Shaanxi
Western Han Dynasty liquor causes
a stir in academic circles. |
In the process of excavating a group of early
Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D.24) carbon deposit mounds
in the northern suburbs of Xi'an in June 2003, the Xi'an Institute
of Cultural Relics Protection and Archaeology unearthed 26 kilograms
of Western Han liquor.
When the lids to bronze containers found
within the mounds were removed, a mellow aroma pervaded the
atmosphere. The liquid in the containers was a transparent emerald.
According to experts, the containers have been untouched by
tomb robbers and so are in very good condition. The varnish
and vermilion used to seal them have effectively preserved the
liquor for 2,000 years.
