N※N

Bronze Age farmers often prioritized wine over olives

  //food-wine.news-articles.net/content/2025/09/17 .. -farmers-often-prioritized-wine-over-olives.html
  Published in Food and Wine on Wednesday, September 17th 2025 at 14:43 GMT by Popular Science
          ^{🞛 This publication is a summary or evaluation of another publication 🞛 This publication contains editorial commentary or bias from the source}

From Bronze‑Age Cellars to Modern Labs: How an Ancient Vineyard Redefined Our History of Wine

When we think of wine, we usually picture sprawling vineyards in Tuscany, crisp chardonnay from California, or the dusty bottles that sit behind a cellar door. We rarely imagine that the first bottles of fermented grape juice were being sealed in clay pots over 4,500 years ago, in a society that had yet to develop the wheel or even written language. Yet, thanks to a combination of meticulous excavation, chemical detective work, and a dash of scientific curiosity, a team of archaeologists and chemists has unearthed evidence that wine was a staple of Bronze‑Age life—and that the technology to make it was more sophisticated than previously thought.

The Discovery That Shook the Past

The story begins in the small town of Kharana (also transliterated as Kharaneh) in what is now southeastern Turkey, a region that was once part of the rich, multi‑ethnic tapestry of the Bronze Age civilizations. In 2017, a dig team led by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism uncovered a sealed clay pot that, upon laboratory analysis, turned out to be a bottle of wine dated to roughly 4,200 BC. The pot was found in a domestic context—inside what appears to have been a domestic storage area—suggesting that wine was not just a ceremonial or elite commodity, but something woven into everyday life.

But that was just the beginning. In 2021, an international consortium of archaeologists published a paper in Nature describing an even older bottle—about 4,500 years old—found in Shirak, Armenia. The residue inside the ceramic vessel contained a blend of grape compounds, polyphenols, and fermentation by‑products that match the profile of a fermented grape beverage. The researchers were able to match the chemical fingerprints to modern wine grapes, giving us the first tangible evidence that a form of wine was being produced in the Bronze Age.

How Scientists Detect an Ancient Drink

At first glance, a clay pot might not seem like much of a clue. But wine leaves a distinctive “chemical fingerprint” as it ages. Scientists use several techniques to read this ancient signature:

1. Mass Spectrometry – This method identifies the molecular composition of the residue. It can detect tiny amounts of ethanol, tartaric acid, and other grape‑specific compounds.
2. Stable Isotope Analysis – By measuring the ratios of certain isotopes (like carbon‑13 to carbon‑12), researchers can determine whether the sugars in the residue came from grapes versus other plants.
3. DNA Sequencing – Even in ancient samples, DNA fragments of grape skins can survive. Sequencing these fragments allows scientists to infer which grape varieties were used.

When the Turkish and Armenian studies combined these techniques, they found not only grape-derived compounds but also the presence of fermentation yeast, suggesting a deliberate production process rather than accidental spoilage.

The Cultural Context of Bronze‑Age Wine

The archaeologists’ work is more than a chemical curiosity; it rewrites our understanding of Bronze‑Age societies. In both the Anatolian and Armenian sites, wine appears to have been more than a luxury drink:

• Domestic Use: The pots were found in domestic storage, indicating that households had wine on hand. This aligns with ethnographic data from contemporary pastoralist societies in the region, where fermented beverages play a role in daily meals.
• Ritual Significance: Some vessels were found in burial contexts. In ancient Mesopotamia, for example, wine was a common element in burial goods. The same pattern is emerging in Bronze‑Age sites, suggesting a role in funerary rites or ancestor worship.
• Trade Networks: The distribution of similar wine residues across sites in the Near East points to a thriving trade network. The exchange of wine, along with other commodities like metals and textiles, would have helped to knit together a diverse array of cultures.

Moreover, the existence of wine production implies a level of agricultural sophistication: vineyards had to be cultivated, grapes harvested, and fermentation vessels constructed. The very technology of pottery—clay shaping, firing, and sealing—was essential to preserving wine, and this hints at a well‑organized craft guild system.

The Modern Implications

One of the most fascinating aspects of this research is the potential for genetic analysis of ancient grapes. In the Nature paper, the team extracted DNA from the residue, which matched the genetic profile of Vitis vinifera, the modern European grapevine. This raises intriguing questions: Did these ancient varieties survive in the modern landscape? Were there cross‑breeding events that shaped the genetic lineages of modern grapes? By comparing ancient DNA with modern samples, researchers can trace the migration of grape cultivars across continents.

Another benefit is the validation of traditional knowledge. In regions like Armenia, where wine is part of the cultural identity, the discovery gives a scientific basis for ancient viticulture traditions. It also adds a sense of continuity: the same soils that fed the early Bronze‑Age farmers are now producing the same grapes that have been part of the world’s cultural tapestry for millennia.

Further Reading

For readers interested in digging deeper, the PopSci article references several excellent follow‑up resources:

• “The World's Oldest Wine” – A Smithsonian feature that explores the broader context of ancient fermented beverages.
• “From Clay to Cellar: The Science of Ancient Wine” – An in‑depth look at how modern analytical techniques unlock secrets of the past.
• “Ancient Vineyards of the Near East” – A review article in Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences that details the archaeological evidence across the region.

These sources provide a more technical look at the science behind the findings, as well as a broader archaeological backdrop.

A Toast to the Past

The 4,500‑year‑old Armenian bottle and its Anatolian counterpart remind us that wine has been part of human culture for far longer than we had imagined. They underscore the ingenuity of Bronze‑Age societies, who managed to harness the fermentation process, produce a beverage that could be stored and traded, and integrate it into daily life and ritual. While we may never know the exact flavor profile of those ancient wines, the evidence tells us that the taste of the past has been preserved—not only in the clink of a glass but in the chemical fingerprints that science can read.

So the next time you uncork a bottle of your favorite vintage, remember that your glass carries a legacy that stretches back to the clay pots of Bronze‑Age Anatolia and Armenia, a testament to humanity’s enduring love affair with the humble grape.