Strange 7,700-year-old China bottle find offers insights into transition between ancient cultures
- Bottle belonged to Peiligang people but resembles later pottery style
- Scientists believe it may have been used to make yeast for alcohol fermentation
Archaeologists in China have unearthed an unusually-shaped 7,700-year-old bottle that offers unique insights into the relationship between two neolithic Chinese cultures.
The container was unearthed in Henan province, central China, at a site associated with the Peiligang culture, which existed from around 7000BC to 5000BC and is considered one of the birthplaces of Chinese agriculture.
The Peiligang people were also one of the oldest in China to make pottery, but the recent discovery is more similar to pieces made by the Yangshao culture (5000BC-3000BC).
The Yangshao were an ancient people who lived along the Yellow River, considered the cradle of Chinese civilisation.
“This discovery provides fresh and crucial material evidence for exploring the origin and development relationship between the Peiligang culture and Yangshao culture,” said Li Yongqiang, associate researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, in mainland press reports.
The bottle has a small mouth and pointed triangular bottom and similar objects have been discovered in Yangshao burial sites, ash pits and homes.