Abstract
Recently, a bowl containing charred suspected tea remains unearthed from the early stage of Warring States period tomb in Zoucheng City, Shandong Province, China. To identify the remains is significant for understanding the origin of tea and tea drinking culture. Scientific investigations of the remains were carried out by using calcium phytoliths analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS) and Thermally assisted hydrolysis—methylation Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (THM-Py-GC/MS) techniques. Modern tea and modern tea residue were used as reference samples. Through phytoliths analyses, calcium phytoliths identifiable from tea were determined in the archeological remains. The infrared spectra of the archaeological remains was found similar as modern tea residue reference sample. In addition, the biomarker compound of tea—caffeine was determined in the archaeological remains by THM-Py-GC/MS analysis. Furthermore, through GC/MS analysis, some compounds were found both in the archeological remains and the modern tea residue reference samples. Putting the information together, it can be concluded that the archaeological remains in the bowl are tea residue after boiling or brewing by the ancient.
Highlights
China is the first country in the world to discover and cultivate tea
Methods of calcium phytoliths analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Gas Chromatography/Mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and thermally assisted hydrolysis–methylation Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (THM–Py–GC/MS) were chosen for the identification of the sample charred suspected tea remains (CST) found in the Warring State tomb
The morphology observation of sample CST under microscope is depicted in Fig. 3, which reveals that the sample contains abundant calcium phytoliths, including the crack, druses and trichome base, these calcium phytoliths match the genus Camellia, especially druse and trichome base are the most distinctive crystals in tea plants[4]
Summary
China is the first country in the world to discover and cultivate tea. In Chinese legend, tea was first discovered as an antidote by Emperor Shen Nung in 2737 bc, according to the first monograph on Chinese herbal medicine Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica (神农本草经)[1]. In the Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 bc), tea had been used as a sacrifice and vegetable, in the Warring States period and the early Western Han Dynasty, tea cultivation, tea making techniques and tea drinking custom in Sichuan province began to spread to other p laces[2]. Some charred suspected tea remains (CST) were found in a bowl unearthed from tomb No 1 at Xigang in the Ancient Capital City Site of the Zhu Kingdom in Zoucheng City (The early stage of Warring States, approximately 2400 years ago), Shandong Province (Fig. 1)[5]. Methods of calcium phytoliths analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Gas Chromatography/Mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and thermally assisted hydrolysis–methylation Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (THM–Py–GC/MS) were chosen for the identification of the sample CST found in the Warring State tomb. Modern reference samples were studied by using the same analytical methods as the archaeological sample for comparison
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