Gaby
Archaeologists from the Research Center for the Preservation of Historical and Cultural Heritage at Zhengzhou University have recreated imperial wine using a replica of a 2,000-year-old bronze distiller.
This discovery shows that distillation technology existed in China during the Western Han dynasty (206 BC–25 AD), about 1,000 years earlier than scholars had thought.
The bronze vessel was found in the tomb of Liu He, the ninth emperor of the Western Han dynasty. It is one of the best-preserved tombs from that era.
Liu He ascended to the throne in 74 BC, but his reign was short-lived, lasting only 27 days. Because of misconduct, he was overthrown and exiled. However, his tomb, discovered in eastern China in 2011, has provided numerous fascinating artifacts to science.
Among these are the oldest known painting of Confucius and 6,000 pieces of armor made from iron, copper, and leather.
The Chinese pharmaceutical compendium Ben-Ciao Gan-Mu, written by Li Shizhen—a physician and pharmacologist of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644)—records distillation technology from the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368).
The team created a replica of the bronze distiller found in the wine chamber of the tomb, as reported by Arkeonews. It consisted of three parts: the main pot, known as the “heavenly pot,” a cylindrical vessel, and a boiler.
The replica was built at half scale of the original. To test the functionality of the device, the team used liquid raw materials such as beer and yellow wine. They achieved impressive results: distillation efficiency exceeded 70 percent, and the drinks retained their flavor and alcohol concentration.
