2,000-year-old alcohol discovered in Ningxia tomb

A cereal-based alcoholic residue, dating back to the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), unearthed by archaeologists at a cemetery in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, is expected to shed new light on cereal processing, grain utilization and brewing techniques among the Qin people.

Experts said the discovery not only represents the best-preserved liquid alcoholic beverage sample from the Warring States Period ever reported in China, but also provides rare physical evidence of how the Qin people brewed grain-based alcohol more than 2,000 years ago.

The findings were published in the June edition of the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.