Areni-1 winery
Encyclopedia
The Areni-1 winery is a 6,100-year-old winery
that was discovered in 2007 in the Areni-1 cave complex
in the village of Areni
in the Vayots Dzor
province of the Republic of Armenia by a team of Armenian and Irish archaeologists. The excavations were carried out by Boris Gasparyan of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia and Ron Pinhasi from University College Cork (Ireland), and were sponsored by the Gfoeller foundation (USA) and University College Cork (Ireland). In 2008 the UCLA also joined the project. Since then the excavations have been sponsored by the UCLA and the National Geographic Society
as well.
The excavations of the winery were completed in 2010.
The winery consists of fermentation
vat
s, a wine press
, storage jars, pottery sherds, and is believed to be at least a thousand years older than the winery unearthed in the West Bank
in 1963, which is the second oldest currently known.
.
The Areni-1 shoe
was found in the same cave in 2008.
. In addition to these discoveries were found grape seeds, remains of pressed grapes, prunes, walnuts, and desiccated vines. A number of drinking cups, found next to a set of ancient graves, were also excavated, suggesting that the site was used for funeral ceremonies and ritualistic practices. The cave was abandoned after its roof caved in, and the organic material was preserved thanks to sheep dung
, which prevented fungi from destroying the remains.
The team's full findings will be published in future.
Botanical analysis and 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 around 4100 BC and 4000 BC or the Late Chalcolithic Period
. 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. 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."
The exact identity of the people who lived in the region at the time is not known, although some researchers have postulated that they may have belonged to the Kura-Araxes
people and added that they may have been very involved in trade.
Winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
that was discovered in 2007 in the Areni-1 cave complex
Areni-1 cave complex
The Areni-1 cave complex is a cave in the Areni village of southern Armenia along the Arpa River. In January 2011, the earliest known winery in the world was announced to be found in the cave. Also, in 2010, it was announced that the earliest known shoe was found in the cave....
in the village of Areni
Areni
Areni is a village in the Vayots Dzor Province of Armenia. It is best known for its wine production, although the majority of wine produced locally is from the nearby village of Getap. The church of S. Astvatsatsin is a single-nave two-aisled domed Armenian church completed in the year 1321, and...
in the Vayots Dzor
Vayots Dzor
Vayots Dzor is a province of Armenia. It lies in the south-east of the country, bordering the Nakhichevan exclave of Azerbaijan in the west and the Azerbaijan in the east. It covers an area of 2,308 km². With a population of only 53,230 , it is the most sparsely populated province in the country...
province of the Republic of Armenia by a team of Armenian and Irish archaeologists. The excavations were carried out by Boris Gasparyan of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia and Ron Pinhasi from University College Cork (Ireland), and were sponsored by the Gfoeller foundation (USA) and University College Cork (Ireland). In 2008 the UCLA also joined the project. Since then the excavations have been sponsored by the UCLA and the National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
as well.
The excavations of the winery were completed in 2010.
The winery consists of fermentation
Fermentation (wine)
The process of fermentation in wine turns grape juice into an alcoholic beverage. During fermentation, yeast interact with sugars in the juice to create ethanol, commonly known as ethyl alcohol, and carbon dioxide...
vat
Vat
Vat or VAT may refer to:* A type of container such as a barrel, storage tank, or tub, often constructed of welded sheet stainless steel, and used for holding, storing, and processing liquids such as milk, wine, and beer...
s, a wine press
Wine press
A wine press is a device used to extract juice from crushed grapes during wine making. There are a number of different styles of presses that are used by wine makers but their overall functionality is the same. Each style of press exerts controlled pressure in order to free the juice from the fruit...
, storage jars, pottery sherds, and is believed to be at least a thousand years older than the winery unearthed in the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
in 1963, which is the second oldest currently known.
.
The Areni-1 shoe
Areni-1 shoe
The Areni-1 shoe is a 5,500-year-old leather shoe that was found in 2008 in excellent condition in the Areni-1 cave complex located in the Vayots Dzor province of Armenia. It is a one-piece leather-hide shoe that has been dated as a few hundred years older than the one found on Ötzi the Iceman,...
was found in the same cave in 2008.
Discovery
Excavations at the Areni-1 site began in 2007 and continued until September 2010, when Armenian, American and Irish archaeologists fully unearthed a large, well-preserved 2-foot (60 centimeters) deep vat, along with a 3.5-foot (one meter) long basin made of clay and covered with malvidinMalvidin
Malvidin is an O-methylated anthocyanidin. As a primary plant pigment, its glycosides are highly abundant in nature. It is responsible primarily for the color of red wine, Vitis vinifera being one of its sources...
. In addition to these discoveries were found grape seeds, remains of pressed grapes, prunes, walnuts, and desiccated vines. A number of drinking cups, found next to a set of ancient graves, were also excavated, suggesting that the site was used for funeral ceremonies and ritualistic practices. The cave was abandoned after its roof caved in, and the organic material was preserved thanks to sheep dung
Dung
Dung may refer to:* Dung, animal feces* Dung, Doubs, a commune in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France* Mundungus Fletcher or "Dung", a character in the Harry Potter novels* Dung beetle...
, which prevented fungi from destroying the remains.
The team's full findings will be published in future.
Analysis
The preliminary results of the Chemical analysis of the residues from the bottom of the wine-press and the storage jars were published in the Journal of Archaeological Science in January 2011.Botanical analysis and radiocarbon tests carried out by researchers at the University of California, Irvine
University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine , founded in 1965, is one of the ten campuses of the University of California, located in Irvine, California, USA...
and Oxford University have revealed the date of the Areni-1 winery to around 4100 BC and 4000 BC or the Late Chalcolithic Period
Copper Age
The Chalcolithic |stone]]") period or Copper Age, also known as the Eneolithic/Æneolithic , is a phase of the Bronze Age in which the addition of tin to copper to form bronze during smelting remained yet unknown by the metallurgists of the times...
. 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
Fermentation (wine)
The process of fermentation in wine turns grape juice into an alcoholic beverage. During fermentation, yeast interact with sugars in the juice to create ethanol, commonly known as ethyl alcohol, and carbon dioxide...
until being stored in jars. 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
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
. 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."
The exact identity of the people who lived in the region at the time is not known, although some researchers have postulated that they may have belonged to the Kura-Araxes
Kura-Araxes culture
The Kura-Araxes culture or the Early trans-Caucasian culture, was a civilization that existed from 3400 BC until about 2000 BC. The earliest evidence for this culture is found on the Ararat plain; thence it spread to Georgia by 3000 BC, and during the next millennium it proceeded westward to the...
people and added that they may have been very involved in trade.
External links
- Oldest Wine Press Found In Armenia, RFE/RL Video, January 17, 2011.