Archaeologists uncover 3,500-year-old rice remains in oldest part of remote region

The remains of 3,500-year-old rice were recently found in Guam — making it the earliest known evidence of rice in Remote Oceania.

Archaeologists discovered the rice at the Ritidian Site Complex, located at the northernmost point of Guam. 

Michael T. Carson, an archaeology professor at the University of Guam in Mangilao, recently published his findings on the discovery in the journal Science Advances.

The archaeologist told Fox News Digital in an interview that the rice remnants were found in the form of phytoliths.

“Phytoliths are like fossils of ancient plant parts,” Carson said.

“The original plant materials were filled primarily with silica materials, lasting for thousands of years and preserving the detailed anatomy that can be observed and authenticated through microscope analysis.”

The phytoliths included multiple instances of the rice husks and leaves, Carson said. 

The rice was exclusively found on ancient pottery made from earthenware.

“This direct association is extra confident because the phytoliths were 100% absent on other artifacts such as stone and shell tools, as well as 100% absent within the surrounding sedimentary matrix,” he said.

Experts believe that rice played a role in rituals that were performed in the cave, which also included fine pottery, shell pendants and ornaments.

“Additionally, the cave included rare rock art and formal burial pits,” Carson added. 

“The discarded shell remains here included different kinds of shellfish than otherwise comprised the majority of the daily shellfish diet.”

No other cave has the same evidence of rice — adding to the idea that the cave served a “highly specialized” cultural role, according to Carson.

The rice must have been transported by the first settlers of Guam over 3,500 years ago, he noted.

“These people traveled across 2,300 km of open ocean, setting a world record [for] long-distance ocean migration at the time,” he said. 

“Among their accomplishments, they managed to transport and maintain the rice until they planted and produced successful crops in their new remote-distance island home.”

So how did ancient people cook this rice? 

Researcher Hsiao-chun Hung told Australian National University (ANU) they probably prepared the rice far away from the cave.

“People probably cooked the rice elsewhere, away from the cave, as grain processing and cooking undoubtedly would have left behind other traces,” the archaeologist said.

A damp environment like the cave would have been “unsuitable for storing unprocessed rice in pots,” she added. 

“The ancient rice remains were found only on the surfaces of the pottery, ruling out ordinary food storage,” Hung added.

The latest discovery isn’t the first time ancient food has offered a window into the past, though such finds remain rare.

Earlier this year, archaeologists uncovered a well-preserved loaf of ancient bread, dating back 5,000 years.

In the American Southwest, University of Utah researchers recently uncovered proof of historical food practices by analyzing bedrock “kitchens.”