Tag: 400 B.C.

The Advent and Evolution of Noodles Within China

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The oldest known noodles ever discovered were found in China and date back 4000 years, discovered virtually fully preserved in a sealed bowl buried beneath sediment. These noodles were not made of wheat but rather from millet, which provides insight into early culinary traditions of the ancient world. These millet based noodles were distinct from future varieties which relied upon wheat, reflecting the grains available in ancient China during the period. This discovery demonstrates the early noodle making techniques which became refined over the coming centuries. By 400 B.C., noodles existed across Asia, likely produced by mixing flour and water into a dough. In comparison to the noodles from 400 B.C., which were likely produced using wheat or other grains and kneaded into dough, the 4000 year old noodles appeared to have been hand pulled and stretched into thin strands rather than being cut. By 400 B.C., more structured noodle cutting methods had emerged, allowing for different regional styles and preparations of noodles to develop (e.g. Lamian which is a hand pulled noodle still popular during the modern day, Dao Xiao Mian which is shaved directly from a block of dough, Biang Biang Mian which is known for its wide belt like shape etc.). These discoveries highlight not only the ingenuity of early civilizations but also the evolution of food production and technologies to produce said food. The shift from millet based noodles to flour based dough reflects advancements in milling, agricultural practices, and culinary techniques, demonstrating how food has continuously adapted over time to the resources available to local populations

Technology Provided by the Iron Age

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Iron was favored over bronze throughout history because it could be formed into thin and detailed structures which could not be achieved when casting bronze. This is important because it meant that iron blades could be worked and therefore sharpened to a much more refined degree than bronze which was brittle. Iron is also more readily found, a metal which could be found locally around the world and did not depend upon an immense, trading network. By 400 B.C., iron tools and iron objects became ubiquitous throughout various civilizations with the effects of this new technology felt upon the cutting edge of agricultural technology. Iron is more practical than bronze as bronze needs to be melted down and recast if broken in opposition to iron which could be taken to a fire, hit with a hard object, and repaired to the point at which it becomes functional once again. These aspects helped iron to gain favor worldwide as the metal of choice for building and advancing society. As the Iron Age progressed, knowledge about where iron deposits are found became better understood with more and more iron becoming available upon the open market. This is important because the more readily available a particular type of artifact is, the younger the item typically presents as. As time progressed, iron became akin to plastic of the modern day, being cost effective and readily available to manufacture virtually anywhere. Iron tipped wooden plows allowed for more difficult soils to be farmed, which meant that more land could be cultivated making iron truly an agricultural and commercial revolution in the ancient world. Despite lasting for a period of 1000 years, the Bronze Age was quickly replaced with the more effective and efficient Iron Age. The issue of total replacement is complicated as bronze was not only used for tool making, it also helped to create an elite class and was used for spiritual and ceremonial objects as well as visual displays of prestige and wealth. Iron tools several hundred years later, failed to achieve the same intrinsic value within society that bronze once had as it was less rare and precious and therefore less valuable. Iron tools however were highly practical unlike their bronze counterparts, a feature which plagued agriculture and society as a whole

The Revolutionary Iron Age Technology of the Rotary Quern

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During the Iron Age, grain was milled by rubbing a smaller rock against a larger rock with the grain in between the discs. This was back breaking labor which is evidenced by the injuries found upon skeletal remains of ancient people. A quantum leap forward however emerged as the rotary quern, a composite tool comprised of a stone base with a wooden pole or dowel in the center, and a movable rotating top donut shaped piece which was also made of stone, but with a handle so that it could be turned. Grain was placed into the middle of the tool and because the tool was slanted upon a 45 degree angle, gravity would pull grain down. This allowed for a single person to mill much more grain than what would have traditionally been possible using antiquated Stone Age technology. This new design freed up both time spent working as well as the amount of people required to meet a specific quota (e.g. 150 – 200 grams per person per day). Because more people could be better fed, with less effort and resources, the population of those with access to the technology in Britain expanded quickly which occurred around 400 B.C.