The "Nuojiji" aliens 3,000 years ago? The "food rations" of the Shang Dynasty merchants from the oracle bone inscriptions

(Left: Oracle-bone script for the character “粟” (millet) Right: Oracle-bone script for the character “黍” (millet))

Millet, commonly known as millet, is called millet after the shell is removed. Millet, also known as millet, is called yellow rice after the skin is removed. Millet and millet remains have been found in many prehistoric archaeological sites in northern my country.

Crops during the Shang Dynasty included millet and sorghum. Pictographic characters and ideographic characters in oracle bone inscriptions preserve the ancient people's understanding of things. So, let's open the historical treasure of ancient characters and learn more about "millet" and "sorghum".

What are the differences between the "five grains" during the Shang Dynasty?

Praying for a good harvest is a deep imprint left on the land of China by the farming culture that has lasted for thousands of years.

The concept of "five grains" was formed in the pre-Qin period. "Zhou Li·Xiaguan·Zhifangshi" said: "Five kinds of grains are suitable." Zheng Xuan's commentary said: "Five kinds are millet, sorghum, beans, wheat, and rice." In the Warring States Period, "Mencius·Teng Wengong I" mentioned: "Growing five grains." Zhao Qi's commentary said: "Five grains refer to rice, millet, millet, wheat, and beans."

Chen Mingyuan, a scholar engaged in historical archaeology and comparative sociology, and Jin Minbin, a famous expert in comparative cultural history, pointed out in their article "A Comparative Study of Cereals in Oracle Bones and Cereal Processing Technology in the East and the West": "In oracle bones, cereals mainly refer to rice, millet, sorghum, rice, wheat, etc. From the results of archaeological excavations, it can be seen that the cereals that our ancestors first cultivated from wild plants were rice and millet (domesticated from foxtail grass, also known as 'weed'), and then gradually added new crop varieties."

In the article, they mentioned that millet is a new variety of millet; sorghum refers to glutinous rice, which is one of the cereals that emerged later than millet; there are also rice from the south and wheat from the west.

"The reason why the original wheat and millet of the Shang Dynasty were not mentioned in the 'Five Grains Theory' during the Eastern Zhou and Warring States Period is that 'wheat' and 'millet' were both general terms for cereals in the Shang and Zhou dynasties," Chen Mingyuan and Jin Minbin pointed out in the article.

Millet: Good grain

In the Practical Dictionary of Oracle Bone Inscriptions compiled by Ma Rusen, the character "粟" is composed of the characters "禾" and "粒实". The character looks like a full ear of grain. The original meaning is full grain. "Shuowen Jiezi" says: "粟 is a good grain."

Chen Mingyuan believes that the Xia and Shang dynasties belonged to the "millet culture" and that the earliest wine in China was brewed from millet. Millet is suitable for growing in arid areas with a lack of irrigation. Its stems and leaves are relatively hard and can be used to feed cattle.

The earliest remains of millet found in China date back more than 8,000 years. The millet remains are most densely distributed in the Yellow River Basin. "Archaeological findings show that the Peiligang area in Henan Province is the main birthplace of millet, with a cultivation history of at least 8,000 years," Chen Mingyuan and Jin Minbin emphasized in the article.

Millet crop remains have been found at the Cishan site in Wu'an, Hebei, the Shawoli site in Henan, the Dahe Village site in Zhengzhou, the Xiyin Village site in Xia County, Shanxi, the Banpo site in Xi'an, the Dahaozhuang site in Yongjing, Gansu, and the Liuwan site in Ledu, Qinghai.

In Er Ya Shi Cao, it is mentioned that "粢, ji". During the Three Kingdoms period, Sun Yan commented that "ji, millet". He believed that ji was a kind of millet, also known as "guzi". In the Western Zhou Dynasty, "ji" was revered as the leader of the five grains and was offered sacrifices together with She, collectively known as "Sheji", becoming a symbol of the country.

Millet: a sticky grain

In the oracle inscriptions on bones and oracle bones, the phrase "receive millet year" appears frequently, showing that the kings and nobles of the Shang Dynasty attached great importance to the millet harvest.

In the Practical Dictionary of Oracle Bone Scripts from Yinxu, the character "黍" is explained as "水" and "黍". It is a pictographic character that resembles the shape of millet. The original meaning is millet, sticky grain. Some oracle bone scripts of "黍" highlight the drooping ears of grain to emphasize the maturity of millet.

"Shuowen Jiezi" mentions: "Millet is a sticky grain of the family He. It is harvested during the Great Heat, so it is called millet. It is composed of the character "禾" (grain) and the abbreviation "雨" (rain). Millet, as a grain that emerged later than millet, is called "millet" (millet) because it is sown during the Great Heat.

"Xia Xiaozheng" records "planting millet". "Millet" appears the most frequently in the Book of Songs, ranking first among all crops. For example, "Shuoshu" in "Weifeng" says: "Shuoshu, Shuoshu, don't eat my millet." In addition, "Yueling" in "Book of Rites" says: "The emperor tasted millet with young birds." "Weizi" in "The Analects of Confucius" says: "I stopped Zilu to stay overnight, and killed chickens for millet to eat."

Chen Mingyuan and Jin Minbin believe that "in plant taxonomy, there is a difference between millet and broomcorn millet." "Millet" belongs to the "Setaria genus" of the Gramineae family, and "broomcorn millet" belongs to the "Broomcorn genus" of the Gramineae family. The two are crops of different "genuses"; the companion weed of "broomcorn millet" is Pennisetum. However, the two are similar in terms of cultivation conditions, and their geographical distribution is mainly in North China.

As an important cultural heritage, millet agriculture has engraved the genetic code of Chinese civilization. We must do a good job in inheriting and promoting it, protect our ecological home, and preserve the local charm.