CANBERRA, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Australian archaeologists have discovered the earliest traces of rice in the remote Pacific, offering new insights into the lives of the region's first island communities, new research has revealed.
Traces of rice husks, embedded in pottery shards, were discovered in Ritidian Beach Cave in northern Guam and dated to 3,500 years ago, according to a release from the Australian National University (ANU) on Thursday.
The find, published in Science Advances, pushes evidence of rice in the Pacific back more than 2,000 years, indicating early islanders transported it from the Philippines over 2,300 km of open sea, said the release.
"While rice was a daily staple in many ancient Asian societies, this discovery indicates that in the remote Pacific it was treated as a precious commodity, reserved for ritual use rather than being consumed daily," said lead researcher Hsiao-chun Hung from the ANU School of Culture, History and Language.
The rice husks were found only on pottery surfaces in the cave's oldest cultural layer, and radiocarbon dating of nearby human refuse confirmed their age, Hung said.
"People probably cooked the rice elsewhere, away from the cave, as grain processing and cooking undoubtedly would have left behind other traces," she said.
The Ritidian Beach Cave in Guam, a U.S. island territory in Micronesia, in the Western Pacific, was largely undisturbed compared to other sites affected by World War II. It offers a rare glimpse into the lives and traditions of Guam's earliest inhabitants.
"This discovery points to a deep and enduring connection to ancestral traditions and an Asian homeland," Hung said, adding the discovery highlights the early voyagers' remarkable navigation skills and enduring cultural links to Asia. ■