China's earliest wine unearthed in NW tomb

从陕西省宝鸡市石鼓山西周贵族墓考古工地获悉，专家在清理一件酒器——青铜卣的过程中意外发现其内盛有液体，在酒器密封很好的情况下液体很可能是保存下来的酒。

专家认为这可能是考古发现的迄今为止时代最早的中国酒，它应当与同墓出土的“禁酒器”——青铜禁一起，在服务墓主人的情况下相伴面世。

主持考古发掘的宝鸡市考古研究所所长刘军社告诉记者，墓室壁龛中共有6件青铜卣，最初清理出来的里面没有什么声音，但是这件盛有液体的青铜卣在轻轻摇晃之下可以听到明显的水声。由于器盖很结实，酒器本身也十分完整，虽然现场也不具备打开检视的条件，基本上仍能判定其内盛的液体是酒。至于是何种酒，以及酒精的含量等问题，都需要等今后的专项检测才能有答案。

中国三千年前的商代盛行饮酒，在晚商时代甚至出现过“酒池肉林”的现象。而代商而起的周人也正是以惩罚商人的饮酒无度等腐败行为相号召，联合众多部族推翻了商人统治，并在总结商人教训的基础上开始限制饮酒，遂有“禁酒器”——青铜禁等饮酒规范的推行和制度化。

参与考古发掘的宝鸡市考古研究所副所长辛怡华说，青铜卣中的酒无疑应是中国迄今为止保存下来的时间最久的酒，虽然其具体成分目前仍然不清楚，但其与长95厘米、高21厘米的龙纹“禁酒器”——青铜禁相伴而处的考古现实，让人们不禁思考墓主人对酒的态度应当是“饮而有度”的。

由于考古发掘工作、尤其是墓室青铜器清理的有序进行，宝鸡市石鼓山西周贵族墓考古队5日发现了众多铭文青铜器，预计未来两天将对墓室的熟土二层台进行发掘，一直到生土为止。同时，也将对墓葬周围数平方公里的范围进行考古调查和勘探，以便了解更多的考古学信息。

Liquid inside an ancient wine vessel unearthed in Shaanxi province is considered to be the earliest wine in China's history, archaeologists told Xinhua Thursday.

The wine vessel made of bronze was unearthed in a noble's tomb of the West Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC - 771 BC) in Shigushan Mountain in Baoji city.

The liquid is likely the oldest wine discovered in China, said Liu Jun, director of Baoji Archaeology Institute, who is in charge of the project.

The vessel, one of the six discovered in the tomb, could be heard to contain a liquid when it was shaken, Liu said.

However, the cover of the vessel was pretty solid and there was no appropriate tools to open it at the excavation site, so the liquid remains a mystery, he said.

During the Shang Dynasty (1600BC-1046BC), the dynasty before the Zhou Dynasty, wine became a symbol of corruption as Shang officials used to drink excessively, he said.

The people of Zhou made "prohibition devices" to put on the table to remind people to drink in moderation, he said.

A 95-centimeter-long and 21-centimeter-tall "prohibition device" was unearthed with the wine vessels on June 25 in the same tomb, which is the first of this kind unearthed in Baoji, he said.

Many other bronze devices with inscriptions were unearthed on Thursday.

The excavation work is still underway at the site and more bronze devices are expected to be discovered in the next couple of days.