Communal drinking rituals and social formations in the Yellow River valley of Neolithic China

Abstract

China’s long history of alcoholic beverage production can be traced to the beginning of the Neolithic period when feasting with such drinks became essential in ritual and political contexts, thus setting the pattern throughout Chinese history. Recent studies employing multi-disciplinary approaches have generated new data on the early development of alcoholic fermentation in prehistory. This paper synthesizes the current understanding about alcoholic beverage production and consumption in the Yellow River region of north China during the Neolithic period, with a focus on the Yangshao culture (ca. 7000–4700 cal. BP). Discussion topics include the development of beer brewing methods, changing forms of fermentation vessels, symbolic meanings of surface decoration on brewing vessels, settlement layouts and public buildings in relation to feasting activities, alcoholic beverages as a luxury food item associated with emergent elite powers, and the underlying dynamics related to the unprecedented regional expansion of Yangshao communities in association with drinking rituals. The intensified ritual activities involving communal drinking may have been intended to build and expand social networks, sustain intra- and inter-group solidarity and support, as well as to help elites gain and maintain power during a period of climatic fluctuation with diminishing precipitation in north China.