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Archaeologists believe they may have found the world’s oldest tea after a the remains of a plant they say is over 2,000 years old has been discovered in an ancient Chines tomb.
The archaeologists were working inside two tombs: Han Yangling Mausoleum in Xi'an in western China and one insode the Gurgyam Cemetery in Western Tibet. In both tombs they found what they believed to be leaf buds of tea.
Further analysis of the findings proved that the remains were that of a tea plant and and the 2,100 year old, dating of the remains puts the earliest tea drinking culture further back than was first thought, reports NPR.
Dorian Fuller, professor of archaeobotany at University College, London, and a member of the team, said: "The identification of the tea found in the emperor's tomb complex gives us a rare glimpse into very ancient traditions which shed light on the origins of one of the world's favorite beverages.”
