# Oldest farmed rice found - 15,000 years old



## Brian G Turner (Oct 22, 2003)

I never even knew that rice farming was so utterly ancient - a new one for me:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3207552.stm

*World's 'oldest' rice found*

Scientists have found the oldest known domesticated rice. The handful of 15,000-year-old burnt grains was discovered by archaeologists in Korea. 

Their age challenges the accepted view that rice cultivation originated in China about 12,000 years ago. 

The rice is genetically different from the modern food crop, which will allow researchers to trace its evolution. 

Today's rice is the primary food for over half the world's population, with 576,280,000 tonnes produced in 2002. 

Rice is especially important in Asia, where it is responsible for almost a third of all calorific intake. 

*Tracer of evolution* 

The oldest known rice was discovered by Lee Yung-jo and Woo Jong-yoon of Chungbuk National University in South Korea. 

They found the ancient grains during excavations in the village of Sorori in the Chungbuk Province. 

Radioactive dating of the 59 grains of carbonised rice has pushed back the date for the earliest known cultivation of the plant. 

DNA analysis shows the early rice sample to be different from the modern intensively farmed varieties, thereby offering scientists the opportunity to study the evolution of one of the world's principal food sources. The region in central Korea where the grains were found is one of the most important sites for understanding the development of Stone Age man in Asia.


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## littlemissattitude (Oct 22, 2003)

This is interesting.

It seems that here in the West, we rarely hear much about the archaeology of ancient cultures in Asia.  Every once in a while, there is a huge, spectacular discovery - like Chinese tombs with full-size human effigy figures - that gets lots of press, but this sort of thing that illuminates every-day life doesn't usually get much coverage.  Knowing this kind of thing is important to getting a full, world-wide picture of how human cultures developed.


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## Brian G Turner (Oct 22, 2003)

I have to admit to also being very ignorant of Asia history and archaeology. That's why articles like this are so illuminating.


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