Article Abstract:
Much archaeological evidence attests to the antiquity of interest in wine. Cultivation of vines dates to about 7000 BC in the Near East, but wine was probably derived from wild grapes much earlier. Residues of wine have been identified in an amphora from Iran that dates to before 3000 BC, and grape presses have been found in Turkey from the late third millennium BC. Vitis vinifera, the only species of grape cultivated in the ancient Mediterranean, mutates readily, making identification of ancient varieties unlikely. Additives such as pine resin have been identified by residue analysis.
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Article Abstract:
Archaeological research at a Mesoamerican site in El Salvador yielded new information about the food, house gardens, and architecture of that era. Ceren, a rural village on the southern fringe of the ancient Maya world, was buried by volcanic ash in approximately A.D. 595. Archaeologists have made casts of the various buried plants and artifacts. The casts indicate the practice of zoned biodiversity, creation of specific planting zones for particular species.
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Article Abstract:
Advancements in radar technology have allowed archaeologists to make new discoveries in Angkor, Cambodia, and other ancient sites. Radar imagery, especially when combined with laser transmission, has shown ancient reservoirs and prehistoric moated mounds near Angkor Wat. Additional flights have revealed riverbeds beneath the Sahara, the ancient city of Ubar on the Arabian Peninsula, and an older wall near the Great Wall of China.
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