Liuzhou, 8 Aug (ZXS) -- Question: Walking into the White Lotus Cave in Liuzhou, we can explore the relics of the ancient human "snail" 29,<> years ago
Written by Liu Juncong Wei Guozheng
In the warehouse of the Bailian Cave Cave Science Museum in Liuzhou, Guangxi, Liang Mei, the cultural relics conservator, has been using a brush for days to clean the fossilized snail shells, which are 26,000 years old. "Among all the objects excavated from the White Lotus Cave preserved in the warehouse, the number of snail shells is the largest, and it can be imagined that the White Lotus Cave people are full of 'snails' enthusiasts." Liang Mei said.
The picture shows the fossil snail shell in the warehouse of the Liuzhou Bailian Cave Science Museum. Wei Guozheng Regency
"There is a mountaintop cave in the north and a white lotus cave in the south." Located in the southern suburbs of Liuzhou City, Bailian Cave is a cave site of ancient human activities from the Paleolithic to Neolithic periods. After archaeological excavations, prehistoric objects such as stone tools, bone needles, human tooth fossils, and animal fossils were unearthed here.
"The Bailian Cave cultural layer is stacked continuously and completely, up to 3 meters thick, and records cultural information in detail from <>,<> to <>,<> years ago, which can be called a 'book from the ground', which is rare in China." Li Jie, deputy director of the Liuzhou Bailian Cave Cave Science Museum, said.
Interestingly, this "book from the ground" is essentially a domestic waste dumping area for ancient humans. "Like modern humans, ancient humans would have paid attention to garbage disposal." Li Jie told reporters that after the ancients hunted and ate, they would pile all kinds of food bones and residues in a certain corner, thus forming a continuous accumulation layer.
The picture shows the ancient cultural site of Bailian Cave. Wei Guozheng Regency
For thousands of years, the people of Bailian Cave have not changed the household garbage dump area, and through this "book from the ground", scientists can learn more about the dietary composition of ancient humans. "The animal fossils unearthed tell us that the White Lotus Cave people would feed on animals such as pandas, golden monkeys, and bamboo rats, and with the advancement of wisdom and the use of new tools, ancient humans are also constantly exploring and enriching the dietary chain." Li Jie said.
A large number of snail shell fossils appeared in the western third layer of the Bailian Cave archaeological site, which is 26,000 years old. The unearthed shells are large, and their tails are marked by chopping tools.
The picture shows the western third floor of the archaeological site of Bailian Cave, and some snail shell fossils are still clearly visible. Wei Guozheng Regency
"Liuzhou has a good climate and abundant rainfall, which is an ideal place for snails to grow. Twenty-six thousand years ago, the White Lotus Cave people may have stumbled upon this food, knocked them off their tails and ate them. Li Jie analyzed.
And this "ho" made the ancients "can't stop". After coming out of the cave life, they brought this high-protein food to the plains. Some snail shell fossils have also been found at the Liuzhou Liyuzui site, which is relatively gentle from 21,000 to 7,000 years ago.
At that time, it was at the end of the Dali Ice Age (one of the Quaternary glacial ages in China), and the dry and cold harsh climate had a great impact on the survival of ancient humans at that time. "Because catching snails is much simpler than fishing and hunting, snails have been preserved for a long time by ancient humans as high-protein 'snacks' to help them survive in harsh environments." Li Jie said.
In May this year, visitors are viewing the fossilized snail shells on display in the Liuzhou Bailian Cave Cave Science Museum. Wei Guozheng Regency
In addition to Liuzhou, Guangxi, a large number of snail shell fossils have been found in other ancient sites in China, further proving that snails were a favorite taste of the ancients. After the advent of pottery, this kind of container also became the best "partner" for the ancients to cook snails.
Located in Guilin, Guangxi Province, the site of Zhipiyan is currently the prehistoric site with the largest number and richest number of 10,000-year-old pottery discoveries in China, dating back to 12,000 to 7,000 years ago.
Fu Xianguo, a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, previously said that in the archaeological excavations of the Zhipiyan site, the appearance of pottery and a large number of snail shells was basically at the same time or slightly later. The emergence of pottery is likely to be related to the collection of snails and mussels as cooking food by ancient humans. Some experts believe that snails are difficult to swallow raw, and ancient humans put them into pottery and cook them to get more delicious snail meat.
Today, the Chinese people's love for snails has not changed, and their cooking methods are richer and more diverse than those of their ancestors. In the Lingnan region, people often boil snails and spices, and use toothpicks to pick out the snail meat that is delicious.
In Liuzhou, Guangxi, snail flour has become a "popular snack" because of its unique flavors such as freshness, fragrant, sour, spicy and refreshing, and snails with snails as ingredients such as snail duck foot pot, fried snails, and boiled snails have also attracted diners from Tiannanhai and Beibei. The Chinese people's habit of eating snails seems to have been "predestined" since 26,000 years ago. (End)