Alcohol distilled in a replica of the disgraced emperor’s 2,000-year-old bronze vat could help rewrite China’s drinking history. Medical books from the Ming Dynasty in the 16th century are famous, Honso Ebu Initially, the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368 AD) was cited as the earliest evidence of alcohol distillation in China, but recent experiments conducted by an affiliated team at Zhengzhou University support a theory that pushes back that estimate by 1,000 years. are.
as Archeo News Described on January 1, the 1:2 scale replica is made of metal recovered from the tomb of Emperor Liu He, one of the best-preserved tombs of the Former Han Dynasty (202 BC – 9 AD). It is based on a manufactured vessel. Liu He’s tenure However, his accession to the throne as the dynasty’s ninth emperor was short-lived. Citing fraud and incompetence in 74 BC, opponents (including his wife, Empress Dowager Shangguan) conspired to overthrow and depose the emperor just 27 days into his reign.
According to him, articles of impeachmentEmperor He was arrested on 1,127 charges of misconduct, including failing to refrain from eating meat and sex during the mourning period, failing to ensure the safety of the imperial family, and nepotism. Court historians eventually removed Liu He from the kingdom’s official list of emperors, and his overthrowers deposed him as Marquis of Haixun in present-day Jiangxi Province. The exiled former Han statesman eventually died in 59 BC.
Despite his notoriety, his tomb was surprisingly well preserved until it was rediscovered by archaeologists in 2011. The tomb’s treasure trove of artifacts included the oldest known Chinese paintings of Confucius and surrounding Confucius paintings. 6,000 composite armor scale Made of lacquered leather, iron and copper. But it was the unique bronze still array discovered in the tomb that caught the attention of researchers at Zhengzhou University and the National Cultural Heritage Administration.
Distillation is the process of concentrating alcoholic liquids to create stronger, more flavorful liquors such as brandy, whiskey, and bourbon. This is usually done by boiling a fermented liquid, such as wine or corn mash. The resulting vapor passes through equipment that separates the alcoholic liquid from the fermentation components, after which the by-products of the former are collected for further development and final consumption. The three-part device discovered in the He tomb included a main cauldron known as the “celestial cauldron,” a cylindrical unit, and a brewing cauldron.
Some experts believed that He’s still was used to purify and concentrate cinnabar or flower dew, but the device was intended for distilling alcoholic beverages such as wine into beverages such as brandy. Some theorized that it could have been. To test this hypothesis, a team led by tomb excavation project manager and archaeologist Zhang Zhongli built a half-sized replica of the relic and used an ancient distillation recipe containing ingredients such as taro from around the same time. I obeyed. Using yellow wine and beer, Zhongli’s team achieved 70% distillation efficiency while maintaining the flavor and alcohol content of each stock solution.
“This discovery is remarkable. From the selection of raw materials to the manufacturing process to the musical instrument, this product has been recreated from the Western Han Dynasty,” Zhongli said. South China Morning Post last month.
Co-researcher Yao Zhihui said the original still design and residue analysis conducted at the excavation site may also “rule out” the earlier Hua Dew purification theory. At the very least, Liu He’s long list of violations, including feasting and games, probably supports the theory that the exiled emperor also enjoyed alcohol.
