SC - Rice in period?

[lilinah at grin.net]

Regina wrote:
>Some notes I have on the origin of rice culture has been traced to India in
>about 3000 BC. Rice culture gradually spread westward and was introduced to
>southern Europe in medieval times. I don't recall the dates but will try
>to look
>it up later.

To the best of my knowledge, archaeology indicates a MUCH earlier
provenence for rice in South East Asia. Because of the climate, however, it
is rare to make finds, since, unless built in stone, the typical housing
biodegrades rapidly. Since most people likely lived, and until recently
still did, in homes made of bamboo and other plant fibers with palm leaf
thatch, not much remains. For example, no remains have ever been found from
the famous and extensive historical riverain kingdom of Srivijaya in
Central Sumatra.

Rice was found in a cave in Thailand much earlier than the Indian date -
actually from around the same time as agriculture was developing in South
West Asia - circa 10,000 BCE. along with a very few stone tools. For a long
time archaeologists decided that since the South East Asians didn't use
many stone tools, they were way behind South West Asians in agricultural
and other development. However, with the development of various
micro-analytical tools, it was discovered that the stones were tools used
to sharpen long-since biodegraded bamboo and other vegetal fiber tools.
Bamboo can take up to a razor sharp edge, and is a very renewable resource
(as anyone who has grown any might know :-) So there was actually little
need for stone tools, other than as grinders/mortars/kerns (and those are
often made of volcanic rock, which grinds down fairly quickly), which
means, unfortunately, few archaeological remains until, essentially,
contact with India, and more stone buildings.

I would appreciate knowing when rice was available in Persia and North
Africa (places related to my persona), as well as Europe, or at least
pointers to resources. I have Reay's "Food in History", but some folks on
this list have questioned its reliability.

Thanks.

Anahita


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