Remnants of 2,000-year-old curry shed new light on ancient trade routes and everyday role of spices in ancient civilisations
Remnants of 2,000-year-old curry shed new light on ancient trade routes and everyday role of spices in ancient civilisations
The remnants of a 2,000-year-old curry found in Vietnam have shed new light on ancient trade routes and the role of spices in people's daily lives at the time.
Analysis of micro-remnants of the curry on stone grinding tools revealed a range of spices including turmeric, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, fingerrote, sand ginger and galangal.
The discovery was made at Oc Eo, a port city of the Funan Kingdom that existed between the first and sixth century AD.
Previous excavations of the Oc Eo archaeological site have revealed goods from India, China, and the Mediterranean, suggesting the city had a wide-reaching trade network.
The first author of the Australian National University (ANU) study, Weiwei Wang, said the discovery of the curry remnants gave more insight into the city's involvement in the global spice trade.
"Our study suggests that curries were most likely introduced to Southeast Asia by migrants during the period of early trade contact via the Indian Ocean," she said.
"Given these spices originated from various different locations, it's clear people were undertaking long-distance journeys for trade purposes."
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The discovery of the curry remnants at the Oc Eo archaeological site in Southern Vietnam suggests the city was important in the global spice trade.
Ms Wang said it showed the significance of spices as coveted commodities in ancient civilisations.
"The global spice trade has linked cultures and economies in Asia, Africa and Europe since classical times," she said.
"Now we know the port city of Oc Eo played an important role in this trade as a cultural and trading crossroads."
Dr Khanh Trung Kien Nguyen of the Southern Institute for Social Sciences in Vietnam said the spices found showed the key ingredients of curry had not changed much since ancient times.
"The spices used today have not deviated significantly from the Oc Eo period," said.
"The key components are all still there, such as turmeric, cloves and cinnamon."
Along with the curry remnants, the team also excavated a significant number of well-preserved seeds.
ANU senior research fellow Dr Hsiao-chun Hung said the preservation of plant remains in Oc Eo was "exceptional".
"The seeds were so fresh it was hard to believe they were 2,000 years old," she said.
"We believe further analysis could identify more spices and possibly even uncover unique plant species, adding to our understanding of the history of the region."
abc.net.au
