Rice grains at the Thanh Den citadel site in Hanoi's Me Linh District were tested in Japan using an age-validating Tantedron AMS machine using C14 technology and were found to not be 3,000 years old as previously believed.
The Carbon isotopic testing results were announced by Dr Lam Thi My Dung, Associate Professor and head of the Archaeology Division at Hanoi National University's History Department, who was in charge of the excavation at Thanh Den Site.
Last May the grains had generated widespread sensationalism when, thought to be 3,000 years old, they sprouted after being soaked in water for two days.
Nguyen Tri Ngoc, director of the Cultivation Department at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's (MARD) announced his department would stop supporting research related to the grains.
“There is nothing miraculous about these grains as they seem to have accidentally fallen into the Thanh Den site,” he said.
MARD initially questioned the findings though they committed to further scientific research to validate or dispute the archaeologists’ discovery with Ngoc recognizing that “no such case exists anywhere in the world.”
Dr Le Huy Ham, head of MARD's Agricultural Genetics Institute – directly involved in caring for and cultivating the “ancient rice grains” – confirmed the results of the carbon isotopic testing deeming the previous assumption a result of archaeological error and announced a halt of all research.
Scientists have explained that even the most modern technology can only preserve seeds that can sprout after a maximum of 50-100 years.
Thanh Den is a well-known Vietnamese archaeological site. Seven excavations have taken place at the site since 2001.
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