Areni-1 winery
The Areni-1 winery is a 6,100-year-old winery that was discovered in a cave by archaeologists in 2007 in the village of Areni in the Vayots Dzor province of the Republic of Armenia. The winery consists of fermentation vats, a wine press, storage jars, pottery shards, drinking cups and bowls, and is believed to be at least a thousand years older than the winery unearthed in the Israel-occupied West Bank in 1963.[1][2] The excavations were sponsored by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the National Geographic Society and carried out by a team of archaeologists led by Gregory Areshian and Hans Barnard, both from UCLA's Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, and Boris Gasparyan of the Armenian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography.[3]
The Areni-1 shoe was found in the same cave in 2008.
Discovery
Excavations at the Areni-1 site began in 2007 and continued until September 2010, when archaeologists fully unearthed a large, 2-foot (60 centimeters) deep vat, along with a 3.5-foot (one meter) long basin made of clay.[3] In addition to these discoveries were found grape seeds, remains of pressed grapes and desiccated vines. A number of drinking cups, next to a set of ancient graves, were also excavated, suggesting that the site was used for funeral ceremonies and ritualistic practices.[3][4]
Analysis
Radiocarbon tests carried out by researchers at the University of California, Irvine and Oxford University have revealed the date of the Areni-1 winery to 4100 BC and 4000 BC or the Late Chalcolithic Period.[2] According to Areshian, the vintners used their feet to press the wine in the clay basin, the juice of which would then drain into the vat, where it would remain to ferment until being stored in jars.[3] The capacity of the vat has been estimated to be about 14-15 gallons.
According to Areshian, the discovery of the winery has provided greater insight to the study of horticulture. Patrick E. McGovern, a biomolecular archaeologist at the University of Pennsylvania Museum, has likewise emphasized the importance of the discovery, describing it as "important and unique, because it indicates large-scale wine production, which would imply, I think, that the grape had already been domesticated."[3]
Notes
- ^ Maugh, Thomas H. "Ancient winery found in Armenia." Los Angeles Times. January 11, 2011. Retrieved January 14, 2011.
- ^ a b Santini, Jean-Louis. "Scientists find 'oldest ever' winery in Armenia." Agence France Press. January 11, 2011. Retrieved January 14, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e Owen, James. "Earliest Known Winery Found in Armenian Cave." National Geographic. January 10, 2011. Retrieved January 14, 2011.
- ^ Squires, Nick. "World's earliest known winery discovered in Armenia." The Telegraph. January 11, 2011. Retrieved January 14, 2011.