Antiquity Vol 81:Pt 311, 2007 pp 54-61 - S.M. Valamoti et al. - Grape-pressings from northern Greece: the earliest wine in the Aegean?

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Volume: 81 Number: Pt 311 Page: 54–61

Grape-pressings from northern Greece: the earliest wine in the Aegean?

S.M. Valamoti^¹, M. Mangafa^², Ch. Koukouli-Chrysanthaki^³ and D. Malamidou^⁴

¹Department of Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54 124 Thessaloniki, Greece (Email: sval@hist.auth.gr) ²Archaeologist/Archaeobotanist (deceased 1998) ³Honorary Curator of Antiquities, Archaeological Museum of Kavala, Greece (Email: ckoukouli@yahoo.gr) ⁴Curator of Antiquities, Archaeological Museum of Kavala, Greece (Email: d.malamidou@free.fr)

Houses burnt down at the Neolithic site of Dikili Tash in northern Greece preserved the remains of wild grapes and figs. The charred shapes showed that there was a pile of grape pips with skins – clear evidence for the extraction of juice. The authors argue that the juice was probably used to make wine – towards the end of the fifth millennium BC the earliest so far from the Aegean. The occupants of the houses also had two-handled cups, providing another clue to consumption of a special kind.

Keywords: Aegean, Macedonia, Greece, wine, grapes, viticulture