Abstract
Chemical analyses of ancient organic compounds absorbed into the pottery fabrics from sites in Georgia in the South Caucasus region, dating to the early Neolithic period (ca. 6,000–5,000 BC), provide the earliest biomolecular archaeological evidence for grape wine and viniculture from the Near East, at ca. 6,000–5,800 BC. The chemical findings are corroborated by climatic and environmental reconstruction, together with archaeobotanical evidence, including grape pollen, starch, and epidermal remains associated with a jar of similar type and date. The very large-capacity jars, some of the earliest pottery made in the Near East, probably served as combination fermentation, aging, and serving vessels. They are the most numerous pottery type at many sites comprising the so-called “Shulaveri-Shomutepe Culture” of the Neolithic period, which extends into western Azerbaijan and northern Armenia. The discovery of early sixth millennium BC grape wine in this region is crucial to the later history of wine in Europe and the rest of the world.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | E10309-E10318 |
| Journal | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
| Volume | 114 |
| Issue number | 48 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 28 Nov 2017 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2017, National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Funding
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. The National Wine Agency of Georgia was the main supporter of this research. In 2014, this agency, under the leadership of Levan Davitashvili, initiated a 3-y multidisciplinary international research project for the study of Georgian grapes and wine culture (17). Tina Kezeli of the Georgian Wine Association was particularly instrumental in making the project a reality, along with many other Georgian officials, including Giorgi Samanishvili and Andro Aslanishvili of the National Wine Agency of Georgia. This research was also supported by the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation. This investigation of ancient wine began in 1998 when P.M. traveled to Georgia. He was privileged to examine the early Neolithic pottery from Shulaveris Gora in the National Museum’s storeroom in the company of Tamaz Kiguradze†, the director of the excavation and one of the foremost Neolithic archaeologists. Two jar bases (SG-16a and SG-782), which he was kindly allowed to bring back to Philadelphia for chemical testing, were subsequently analyzed by many different chemical techniques. While the initial results were encouraging, after nearly 20 y of investigation, application of LC-MS-MS, one of the most sensitive chemical methods currently available, has shown that the vessels from which the sherds came are positive for grape/wine. Much help and advice has been received over the years from individuals too numerous to list here, but they know who they are, and our thanks go out to them. The following analytical chemists played key roles in the project: coauthor G.R.H., Theodore Davidson, and Lawrence J. Exner (University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology); Jeffery P. Honovich (Chemistry Department, Drexel University); and W. Christian Petersen (Winterthur Museum). University of Pennsylvania undergraduate student Fabian Toro and graduate student Chen-shan “Ellen” Wang carried out the chemical extractions of the ancient pottery sherds and soils. Dr. Shin Pu and Matt Turner assisted with the LC-MS-MS analyses in the Biomolecular Research Center’s Mass Spectrometry Facility at Boise State University. The D-REAMS facility is supported by the Exilarch’s Foundation. We are also very appreciative of the help from numerous other scientists and scholars, including L. Costantini, A. J. Graham, V. H. Mair, N. F. Miller, A. Mirzoian, A. M. T. Moore, R. R. Ocete, C. Romieu, K. S. Rubinson, M. Vickers, and J. Vouillamoz.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Exilarch’s Foundation | |
| Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation |
Keywords
- Georgia
- Near East
- Neolithic
- Viticulture
- Wine