Archaeologists Discover Unknown Liquid from Ancient Tomb Again in Luoyang

Archaeologists Discover Unknown Liquid from Ancient Tomb Again in Luoyang

洛阳西汉墓葬再现神秘液体

推测或为千年美酒

 

At a construction site near Zhuangyuanhong Road of Luoyang city, Henan province, staff members of Luoyang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology were busy excavating a family tomb with exquisite designs and well-made hollow bricks of the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC to 8 AD) on June 3. Since April, not only rare bronze burial artifacts, but also unknown liquid have been discovered in the graves from time to time.

精巧的墓室设计、制作考究的空心墓砖……昨日，在洛阳市状元红路附近的一处工地内，洛阳市文物考古研究院的工作人员正在一处西汉家族墓葬内进行发掘工作。从4月份开始进行发掘到现在，这处西汉墓葬的发掘工作带给了考古人一个又一个“惊喜”，不仅在墓葬中发现少有的青铜器随葬品，还在其中一处墓葬内的随葬品内再次发现神秘液体。

Rare bronze burial artifacts with fine decoration. [Photo provided to Dahe Daily·Dahe App]

“Located at the southeast corner of the construction site, the L-shaped family tomb was composed of 6 graves arranged in an orderly manner. Preliminary judgement indicates it was a family tomb of the early Western Han Dynasty, but the identity of its owner has not been confirmed yet,” said Peng Haijun, a staff member working at the excavation site.

“整个墓葬群位于工地的东南角，排列有序，墓制规整，初步判断为一处西汉早期的家族墓葬群，墓主人的身份还有待考证。”据现场考古工作人员彭海军介绍，这处西汉家族墓由6座墓葬构成，呈L型分布。

The family tomb with exquisite designs and well-made hollow bricks. [Photo provided to Dahe Daily·Dahe App]

In an unplundered grave, archaeologists dig up rare bronze goods with fine decoration, including bronze square pots, bronze tripods, bronze cooking vessels, etc. “In the early Western Han Dynasty, most funerary objects were pottery products. So, it is rare to unearth these groups of bronze wares,” introduced by Peng.

在一座没有被盗的墓葬内，考古人员发掘出西汉早期少有的青铜器陪葬品，包括铜方壶、铜鼎、铜甗(yǎn)等，这些青铜器不仅制作考究，器物身上还有许多复杂的纹饰，“西汉早期的随葬品多为陶制品，这次能发现成组的青铜器确实十分少见。”

Unknown liquid discovered in the grave. [Photo provided to Dahe Daily·Dahe App]

It is worth mentioning that archaeologists have found much unknown liquid in some unearthed bronze square pots again. “Since these bronzes were mainly used as drinking vessels, the liquid in them might be wine dating back over 2000 years.” Shi Jiazhen, head of Luoyang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, told the reporter that the liquid has been found well-preserved in pots, but its ingredients still need to be identified through tests.

更加难能可贵的是，在出土的一组铜方壶内，考古人员再次发现大量神秘液体，“这类青铜器在西汉时期多数作为酒器使用，所以也初步判断这些液体可能为西汉早期的美酒。”洛阳市文物考古研究院院长史家珍告诉记者，青铜壶内的液体保存完好，后期仍需要一系列检测才能判断出液体的“真实身份”。（中文/大河报·大河客户端 编译/赵汉青 实习生/朱清远 审校/丁岚）