在线国产一区二区_成人黄色片在线观看_国产成人免费_日韩精品免费在线视频_亚洲精品美女久久_欧美一级免费在线观看

Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
China
Home / China / Society

Oldest Sichuan pepper seeds unearthed

Discovery in Ziyang reveals love for spicy food during Paleolithic period

By CHEN MEILING in Beijing and ZHAO JUNFENG in Chengdu | China Daily | Updated: 2025-04-02 09:23
Share
Share - WeChat

Some 60,000-year-old wild Sichuan pepper seeds unearthed at the Mengxihe Site in Ziyang, Sichuan province, have helped shed light on Paleolithic human diets that included a spicy and numbing flavor.

As plants decay easily, finding plant seeds in archaeological sites is rare. Zheng Zhexuan, director of the Paleolithic Archaeology Institute at the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, said researchers were excited when they confirmed in late 2024, after more than a year of meticulous analysis, that the tiny, near-round items are Sichuan pepper seeds.

"They are the oldest Sichuan pepper seeds unearthed at sites with human activity worldwide, an extremely rare discovery even at historical sites that are just a few hundred years old," Zheng said. "It suggests that tens of millennia ago, ancient humans in Sichuan may have already used it for flavoring. The love for spicy, numbing flavors might truly be etched in Sichuan people's DNA!"

The water-rich environment caused by floods resulting from climate change helped block oxygen and germs, significantly slowing degradation and preserving a large number of plant remains, he said.

"The Sichuan pepper is possibly the earliest known evidence of humans using spices for flavoring, offering unprecedented insights into early humans' culinary sophistication," he said.

Beyond possible seasoning, the site provides a vivid picture of ancient diets. More than 30 animal species, including extinct stegodons, bears, birds, cattle and fish, were identified from fossils bearing cut marks and signs of fire — evidence of hunting, butchering and barbecuing.

Edible plant remains such as walnuts, grapes and acorns demonstrate the diversity of the foraging economy.

"Their recipe had fruit, plants, grilled meat and possibly even some knowledge of seasoning," Zheng said.

Researchers also found a high proportion of elderberry and carpet bugle plants, which are commonly used for treating injuries and promoting blood circulation in traditional Chinese medicine. This suggests early usage of medicinal plants.

The site has yielded more than 210,000 stone tools, animal fossils and related fragments, along with more than 60,000 plant seeds and spores. These discoveries provide the first material evidence verifying the existence of a foraging economy during the Middle Paleolithic period, making it the only site with abundant plant remains identified to date in the context of modern human evolutionary dispersal, Zheng said.

"This site proves ancient humans here practiced broad-spectrum resource utilization much earlier than believed," Zheng said.

"They weren't just surviving; they maintained local stone implement technologies while developing complex behaviors similar to modern people."

It marks a major breakthrough in studying the origins and early cultural development of East Asia, he said.

Is it possible to grow peppers with the ancient pepper seeds? While unlikely as they are carbonized, Zheng said there may be DNA left among the large number of plants found, which could offer genetic data for modern crop improvement.

He also foresees the possibility of future incubation of ancient seeds, similar to the 1,000-year-old lotus seeds that blossomed as a result of scientific efforts in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

The 60,000 plant seeds and spores were found in about 600 soil samples. The team collected about 20,000 samples, so much work remains.

This year, 24 new sites within the Mengxihe Site cluster have been discovered, bringing the total to more than 100.

"Each archaeological survey and excavation is like opening a time capsule, revealing humanity's shared ingenuity," Zheng said.

Last year, a miniature museum was established at the site, with plans to open it to the public this year when conditions permit.

On Monday, the site advanced to the final evaluation stage for China's top 10 new archaeological discoveries of 2024.

Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
 
主站蜘蛛池模板: 国产一区二区在线电影 | 中文字幕 亚洲一区 | 精品国产乱码久久久久久1区2区 | 少妇激烈床戏视频 | 日韩avxxxx | 日韩毛片免费视频一级特黄 | 黑人巨大精品欧美一区二区三区 | 亚洲中字幕 | 成人在线影视 | 视频1区| 中文字幕一区二区不卡 | 国产精品一区二区三区久久 | 欧美精品一区二区三区四区五区 | 亚洲激情 欧美 | 羞羞视频网站在线看 | 欧美同性大尺度腐剧 | 日韩成人av在线播放 | 亚洲一区二区三区四区在线观看 | 久久国产在线视频 | 欧美一区二区三区在线视频 | 国产馆一区二区 | 日韩中文久久 | 精品成人| 国产成人精品一区二区视频免费 | 黄色av免费 | 午夜精品久久久久久久 | 日本一区二区三区四区不卡视频 | 精品在线免费视频 | 小罗莉极品一线天在线 | 国外成人在线视频网站 | 国产精品自产拍在线观看桃花 | 日日爱886 | 国产成人精品一区二区三区四区 | 国产精品视频 | 97超碰国产在线 | 天天天天天天天天干 | 国产青青青 | 波多野结衣一区二 | 色综合天天综合网天天看片 | 日韩精品网站在线观看 | 国产不卡在线视频 |