The remaining liquid in a bronze owl jar from the Shang Dynasty stored at the Jinan Archaeological Research Institute has been confirmed to be distilled liquor, tracing the discovery of distilled liquor in China back to the Shang Dynasty 3000 years ago. This copper owl jar was unearthed in December 2010 from the M257 tomb excavated by the Jinan Archaeological Research Institute at the Daxinzhuang site in Jinan, dating back to the late Shang Dynasty. When the artifact was unearthed, archaeologists could clearly feel a small amount of liquid inside, but due to the lid and body being firmly attached, it was not opened for a long time. Recently, cultural relic restoration personnel from the Shandong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection, Restoration and Appraisal Center treated the corroded part of the copper owl jar and opened the lid. The liquid specimen inside the container was sealed and sent to the Joint Laboratory of Environmental and Social Archaeology at Shandong University for testing. The test results confirmed that it was distilled liquor from 3000 years ago. According to Wu Meng, the person in charge of the testing project and an associate researcher at the International Cooperation Laboratory of Environmental and Social Archaeology at Shandong University, after testing, it was found that the remaining liquid in the copper owl jar contained ethanol and other components, confirming that it was alcohol. Fruit wine and rice wine only undergo fermentation without distillation, leaving behind substances such as sugars and proteins that will not completely degrade even if buried for a long time. The remaining liquid in this copper owl jar has been stored in a closed anaerobic environment for a long time. After identification, it was found that only water, ethanol, ethyl acetate and other components were used to make the liquor, which was distilled. Wu Meng introduced that the study of the origin of Chinese distilled spirits has always been an important topic in the history of science and technology and the study of liquor culture. With the continuous advancement of domestic archaeological work, physical distillation vessels from the Han Dynasty have been unearthed one after another, including distillation vessels from the Western Han Dynasty unearthed from the Haihun Marquis Tomb and distillation vessels from the Xinmang period unearthed from the Zhangjiabao Xinmang Tomb in Xi'an. These archaeological discoveries indicate that distillation technology existed in China at least during the Han Dynasty. But at that time, it was still uncertain whether distillation technology was used to make distilled spirits Wu Meng said that previously, the International Cooperation Joint Laboratory of Environmental and Social Archaeology at Shandong University used various analytical methods to detect and identify the liquor unearthed from the Han Tomb Group in Thirty Mile Fort, Yantai as distilled liquor, proving that the distillation technology of the Han Dynasty had already been used to produce distilled liquor. The liquid sample inside the copper owl jar at the Daxinzhuang site was tested to be distilled liquor, tracing back the time of making distilled liquor in China to 3000 years ago. (New Society)