Alcohol, Rituals, and Spirits at the Late Shang Center: Residue Analysis of Ceramic Vessels in Anyang

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Drinking Beer in a Blissful Mood: A Global Archaeology of Beer" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In the Bronze Age of China, alcohol practice was an integral part of rituals and the spiritual world as a social agent in hierarchical societies. Multiple types of alcoholic beverages appeared in the earliest writings of the late Shang dynasty some 3,200 years ago. However, little research has been done to characterize how alcoholic beverages were brewed in the Bronze Age and the true use of relevant vessels through scientific analysis. In this study, we analyzed microfossil remains on ceramic vessels unearthed from Yinxu in Anyang, the last capital of the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BC). Based on the residue analysis, the main fermentation ingredients include millet, rice, Triticeae, tubers, and probably job’s tears and beans. Qu starters were used for saccharification and alcohol fermentation. The results provide direct evidence of the production and consumption of alcoholic beverages in the late Shang and reveal the functions of multiple types of vessels, such as weng vats used for fermentation. The ritual beverages demonstrate that alcohol played key roles in sacrifice, spirits, and ancestral worship in the royal capital, which might help to legitimize the political power and social organization in the formation of early Chinese civilization.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Drinking Beer in a Blissful Mood: A Global Archaeology of Beer   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36825.0