Researchers found evidence of eight different spices on 12 stone tools at the Óc Eo archaeological complex in southern Vietnam.
hildgrim under CC BY-SA 2.0
Archaeologists in Southeast Asia have uncovered the region’s oldest evidence of processing spices used in a dish that Westerners often call “curry.” The remains, which are at least 1,800 years old, reveal new details about ancient trade and travel.
“Before this study, we had only limited clues from ancient documents in India, China and Rome about the early spice trades,” Australian National University archaeologist Hsiao-chun Hung tells Scientific American’s Timmy Broderick. “However, this research is the first to confirm that these spices were indeed traded commodities…
