http://www.rdmag.com/articles/2016/01/archaeologists-unearth-oldest-physical-evidence-teaTea is an ancient drink known for its taste, aroma, medicinal, and stimulating qualities.
The earliest textual references to the beverage arise from 59 BC during the Western Han Dynasty. It is thought that tea—along with silks and porcelains—was a key commodity exported from the ancient Chinese capital Chang’an via the ancient network of trade routes, the Silk Road.
Previous evidence indicated that tea made its way to Tibet, southern and central Asia during the Tang Dynasty (between 618-907 CE). And the oldest physical evidence stemmed from the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127 CE).
However, archaeologists have found evidence that shows tea was grown around 2,100 years ago for the Western Han Dynasty and transported to central Asia by 200 CE. The finds constitute the oldest physical evidence of tea in the world.
The new archaeological evidence was discovered in two funerary sites: the Han Yangling Mausoleum in Xi’an, Sha’anxi Province; and the Gurgyam Cemetery in western Tibet’s Ngari district.
Built for the fourth emperor of the Western Han Dynasty and his wife, the Han Yangling Mausoleum is situated along the north bank of the Weihe River. Excavations at the site occurred between 1998 and 2005, performed by the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology. Amid the artifacts, the archaeologists found plant remains consisting of rice and millet. But they also found unconsolidated plant pieces colored brown to black, which warranted further study. Radiocarbon dating placed the unidentified plant pieces from roughly 2,100 years ago.
At the Gurgyam Cemetery, located along the bank of the Sutlej River, archaeologists—digging in 2012—found burial artifacts, including silk pieces, ceramic and bronze vessels, among other artifacts. “An unidentified object found in one ceramic vessel appears to be agglomerated plant residue,” write the researchers in Scientific Reports. “This plant residue and other grave goods have been dated as second to third century CE.”
According to the researchers, several morphological features of the two samples matched those of tea, including tea bud structure. They further used ultra-performance liquid chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry to isolate traces of theanine, an amino acid found in tea; and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to identity caffeine traces.
Additionally—at the Gurgyam Cemetery site—the researchers found abundant evidence of plant crystals called calcium phytoliths, which were identified as tea, but also found barley lemma phytoliths and unrecognizable plants mixed in.
“Therefore, it is likely that tea buds and/or leaves were consumed in a form similar to traditionally-prepared butter tea, in which tea is mixed with salt, tsampa (roasted barley flour) and/or ginger in the cold mountain areas of central Asia,” the researchers write
