Bronze Pot Unearthed in Central China Held “Elixir of Life”

ZHENGZHOU, CHINA—Archaeologist Pan Fusheng announced that the liquid discovered in a 2,000-year-old bronze pot in a tomb in central China may have been an “elixir of life,” as described in ancient Taoist literature, according to a Xinhua report. The tomb, which dates to the Western Han Dynasty (202 B.C. – A.D. 8), covered more than 2,200 square feet, and also contained painted pottery, jade items, and other bronze artifacts, in addition to the remains of a noble occupant. Archaeologists noted right away that the approximately 3.5 quarts of liquid in the bronze pot smelled of alcohol. Later chemical analysis showed the substance contains potassium nitrate and alunite—the main ingredients in an immortality medicine mentioned in a Taoist text. To read in-depth about the Han period, go to “Reading the Yellow River.”