Several grains of cultivated rice at least 12,000 years old have been found during an archaeological dig in Hunan province in China.

Yuan Jiarong, chief of the Archaeology Research Institute of Hunan province, said the rice and a piece of pottery were found at the Yuchanyan ruin site in Dao county of Hunan province.

“Six grains of rice and one piece of pottery were found. This rice was imbedded in the layer beneath the pottery, about one meter deep. It has been ascertained that the rice is ancient. It is estimated that the date for the cultivated rice could be from about 12,000 years ago, the transition period from the Paleolithic Period to the Neolithic Age, and could be from even earlier.

He said it is a significant archaeological achievement in the study of “archaeology research of the origins of ancient Chinese rice. This is the earliest known sample of cultivated rice in the world, and is an important resource for research on the origin of agriculture.”