At 6,000 Years Old, Wine Press Is Oldest Yet Found

YEREVAN (Reuters)—Archeologists have unearthed the oldest wine-making facility ever found, using biochemical techniques to identify a dry red vintage made about 6,000 years ago in what is now southern Armenia.

A wine press (C) is seen, behind which an archaeological identification kit is placed in this undated photograph released to Reuters on Jan. 10, 2011.

The excavation paints a picture of a complex society where mourners tasted a special vintage made at a caveside cemetery, the researchers reported on Jan. 11 in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

“This is the world’s oldest known installation to make wine,” Gregory Areshian of the University of California Los Angeles, who helped lead the study, said in a telephone interview.

Carbon dating showed a desiccated grape vine found near a wine press was grown around 4000 BC, his team reported.

This makes it 1,000 years older than any other wine-making facility discovered, the team from Armenia, the United States, and Ireland reported.

The team found the world’s oldest leather shoe, about 5,500 years old, at the same cave complex last year.

The wine press would have held a few gallons of juice and crushed grapes, likely working with the time-honored technique of barefoot stomping, Areshian said.

“This was a relatively small installation related to the ritual inside the cave. For daily consumption they would have had much larger wine presses in the regular settlement,” said Areshian, who was deputy prime minister in the first government of the independent Republic of Armenia in 1991.

Chemical traces point to grape juice and, given the lack of refrigeration, the juice would certainly have been fermented into wine, Areshian said.

“We also know that still, in the villages in the vicinity, the culture of wine is very old and traditional,” he said.

The rich red wines produced there are merlots and cabernet sauvignons, he said.

The expedition, paid for in part by the National Geographic Society, also uncovered copper processing equipment. Areshian said the team would detail those findings later.

The cave complex, known as Areni-1, is in the Little Caucasus Mountains near Armenia’s southern border with Iran.

The press itself is a shallow clay basin about three feet (one meter) in diameter, surrounded by grape seeds and dried-out grape vines.

The team found grave mounds nearby and obsidian tools—indicating some complicated trade was going on. The closest source of obsidian, a black glassy mineral, is 35 to 45 miles away, a three-day walk, Areshian said.

“We can say that this was a quite complex society formed by multiple communities,” he said.

(Editing by John O’Callaghan)

26 Comments

  1. ABsolutely amazing.. but not surprising.. Armenians were one of the ancient civilizations that inhabited this earth.. I am sure many more discoveries will face to earth if they continue…

    Amazing discovery indeed…

    Thank you for sharing..

    Gayane

  2. I don’t believe those working on this archeological site, including Armenian scientists, claim this winery was made by Armenians. Did anyone, 6000 years ago, claim to be Armenian? Are we sure about who made and worked at this winery?

  3. I think when all is said and done, we will all learn that civilization indeed began in Armenia and yes, that Armenians have been there for thousands of years, even before this find. Think about this…our ancestors were making wine 4000+ years before Christianity arrived on the scene – yet we still bless the grapes at the end of every summer!  The technology of this site eventually found its way to the rest of the Middle East, but for its time, was very sophisticated and advanced. If these facts about Armenia don’t impress you, probably nothing will. There is alot more to discover about our ancient land, for sure. As you may know, hominid remains dating to 1.6 million years ago were found in Georgia…the path to Georgia runs right thru ancient and present Armenia. Think about this and the 6100 year old winery looks almost new. The French may brag about their wines, but they have nothing like this – the undisputed origin!
     

  4. I think it is more correct to say that Christ Jesus was born to the world as the Savior, and not that Christianity “arrived on the scene”…  I take pride of the fact that Armenians were first nation in the world that embraced Christianity as their official religion.

  5. “As you may know, hominid remains dating to 1.6 million years ago were found in Georgia…the path to Georgia runs right thru ancient and present Armenia.”
    Yes and that path started in Africa, went through ancient and present Egypt, today’s Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and so on. What exactly is your point? Your above comment establishes that we humans have a common origin.
    What concerns me is that assumptions people make about 6000 year old artifacts that give tiny glimpses about how people in the past lived. Armenians were not the only ones living in Armenia. How do we know Armenians were the ones who made this winery?

  6. Well, the Arabs didn’t build the pyramids because they were still living in the desert, not Egypt, but chances are Armenians are indigenous to that area. Who else would you propose?  Look….they also discovered 6000 year old brain tissue there. When they compare that DNA to that of today’s Armenians, we’ll probably find out for sure what the connection is. In the meantime, do you realize that the Armenian language is probably the only language still spoken that has been certified as being of proto-IndoEuropean origin, and may be the oldest IndoEuropean language, dating to 7000+ years ago, with an origin in eastern Anatolia/Caucasus region?  Connect the dots my friend, connect the dots.

  7. Random Armenian..

    I don’t understand your purpose here… are you implying that the scientists are lying about the discovery? i am not a scientists and i don’t know the entire process they go through when they discover something ancient.. but if i were to take a wild guess, i would say these people had to do extensive research on this, confirm and reconfirm the origins and the people at the time before they make it public.. you don’t think so? i would ask you to do some research and see what you can find out about this yourself…maybe you can provide a confirmation that the people who inhabited at the time of this winery being in use were not Armenians and share with us…..

    It is really annoying when someone is so negative.. if i were to take a wild guess, i would say you are not an Armenian or you are a very bitter ARmenian.. i understand you are trying to sound like a realist and I get that but come on.. really….your condonscending tone is not appreciated at all..

    Forgive me but that is how i see you and your posts… if that is not the case, please forgive me…

    Thank you
    Gayane 

  8. Karekin,
    I really don’t know who made and used that winery. I’m a stickler for trying to get things right as much as humanly possible. I want to know who used that winery and if there is any connection with us. I believe that I read that the same grapes used at this winery winery 6000 years ago is still used in that region today. Does this imply a connection? I don’t know. From the news articles I read, the scientists have not said ” and the people who used these wineries were Armenian.”

    I love the scientific approach where you follow where the evidence leads you. It gives the best results and takes out bias and wishful thinking from one’s conclusions. If you propose something that has no or weak evidence, it’s speculation. I would love to see a 6000 year connection between that winery and and us.
    I’m not being negative gayane, I’m trying to look at this critically and that’s important when it comes to facts and our history.
    Connecting the dots is easy. Getting it right is not.

  9. Well, it is about time for Armenians and their role in history, the development of civilization and the sciences to finally get some long deserved credit.  Too often, Armenia is and has been overlooked as an original source, but little by little, the historic evidence is revealing that it may actually be THE source for much of what came later, including agriculture, architecture, language, music, clothing and now wine!  Let’s see what other surprises are revealed as the other 39 caves are excavated and explored, before denigrating Armenia once again. It is wonderful to see Armenia rising out of the footnotes of history in the 21st century – phoenix-like!  It’s something of a miracle and we should all be proud of it.   

  10. Random ARmenian.

    As I suggested in my previous post…please provide links, facts and evidence that this winery were not used by Armenians…and get back to us.. it is not us who question the matter, it is you.. i am not trying to be difficult RA jan.. but it seems you have many doubts about this discovery and I am sure everything else that was found before this.. and you may be correct.. i don’t know.. that is why i would like some sort of evidence that the inhabitants wo used this winery were not Armenians..i am just trying to get it right as you suggested.. :)

    I for one am proud that things like these have been discovered on our lands and I am sure this will not be the last..

    Karekin- I agree.. it is about time that ARmenia gets her recognition for her ancient civilization and history and not be used only for political reasons…

    Thank you
    Gayane

  11. gayane,
    I don’t have to prove that it was not made and used by Armenians because I’m not saying any such thing. All I’m saying is that, as far as I know, the evidence is not there to settle this one way or another. It’s the inclination to jump to conclusions that is the issue for me. Until there is good evidence connecting these people with us, it’s difficult to say.
    As far as I know, the only thing we have to go on is that this 6000 year old winery is geographically located in Armenia. But Armenians were never the only people who lived in the current and historic Armenia. And this is the oldest known winery, not the first ever built winery. The farther back we look into history, the fewer and more precious the evidence get. It becomes more difficult to piece together history.
     
    Karekin, how is Armenia the source of agriculture and language?
    You’re treating it as a foregone conclusion that the piece of brain sample found a few years ago is genetically connected with us. It could easily be. Then again it could easily be related to Georgians and other groups in the region at the same time. Our desire to feel important about ourselves through our history can make us jump to conclusions.
    I’m sorry but I’m not taking this out on you guys. This is a frustration I’ve had for a while. Specially having come from a science background. Getting things right is not only important for oneself but also for one’s credibility.

  12. RA, I do agree w/ Gayane, that no one has yet proven that Armenians DID NOT inhabit those areas since the earliest times or that there is not a clear genetic connection to much earlier times than this wine press. Armenian genetic testing will probably be the ultimate test, one way or the other, but at this point, I disagree with those who believe Armenians arrived from elsewhere, such as the west. That thesis came about as a result of a now discredited Euro-centric view, both by Armenians and western scholars, but the problem is that it totally ignores the possibility that Armenians have actually lived on that land (E. Anatolia/Caucasus/NW Iran) for tens of thousands of years, and are probably indigenous since that time, or arrived from regions to the south, as the legend of Haik suggests. Yes, there is alot of work to do, but much of the work thus far has virtually ignored Armenia and Armenians, perhaps by design. Let’s hope more comes to light that will establish even further, the ancient, hisotric Armenian connection to the land. We really have to thank the archaologists, linguists and others who are advancing these studies after such a long, empty void that was often filled with fantasy rather than fact.

  13.  
    gayane: re: “… if i were to take a wild guess, i would say you are not an Armenian or you are a very bitter ARmenian…
    I wish people would not resort to that: nothing Random Armenian has said in this thread should give you reason to question whether he is Armenian or not. In any case, being Armenian does not guarantee one is fair/unbiased, or pro-Armenian; and being non-Armenian does not preclude one from being fair/unbiased, or being pro-Armenian. One example is right here @ ArmenianWeekly – Kristi Rendahl.
    She is not of Armenian descent, but is more ‘Armenian’ than many of us.
     
    I agree with Random Armenian, on the Scientific front: even in Mathematics (and Physics), the most precise of sciences, mistakes are made and wrong conclusions reached all the time, and then corrected years later. And archeology is far from a precise science. So it is quite possible that Armenians, or our ancestors,  6,000-8,000 years ago, were at the site. But it is also possible that some unknown group was there at the time, stayed a few centuries then moved on or disappeared. The facts will be hashed out and published eventually.
     
    However, there is the pure scientific world – well, mostly pure – and then there is the dirty, ugly, real world. In the real world culture, history, national heritage are routinely distorted, stolen, confiscated – for political gain.
     
    Because of that, I also understand and appreciate the positions of   gayane and Karekin.
     
    The infamous example of the current Turkish Airlines commercial running in the Los Angeles area, where they blatantly lie and claim “thousands (plural) of years of Turkish culture and history awaits you”: thousands of years of Armenian and Greek culture and architecture miraculously becomes ‘Turkish’.
     
    But this article and the comments made here are also a reminder of  the downside of having a rich history: we cling to it too much, at the expense of the present and the future. We have not many modern achievements – for whatever reason – and resort to our long and illustrious history to see us through the day.
     
    Here is a thought experiment: assume  you read an article in the paper that says “….it was recently discovered and conclusively proven by archeologists that Tholians were the first to domesticate and cultivate tarragon …a relatively rare herb prized by chefs all over the world…”
     
    Next: “…The small but technologically advanced nation of Fabrini successfully tested a multi-stage ballistic missile that has terminal stage random maneuverability, which renders it immune to any known or future missile-defense intercept …”
     
    Question: which would impress you more ? which do you believe would impress the thugs of the world more, and which do you believe would make them not to mess with you ?
     
    Although we, Armenians, may think otherwise, the real world does not care at all about culture, history, culinary skills, wine making ability, etc, etc, etc. Disagree ?
     
    Here are two examples from our own history:
     
    [1] A bunch of Asiatic nomads – with no culture – but with better martial skills and ability than the indigenous population, invaded our lands, took what we had created over thousands of years, murdered most, expelled the rest, stole our genes, took out lands – and even today are benefitting from the fruits of our culture, while we cling to a precarious existence. The fact that they had (have ?) no culture does not seem to affect their standing in the real world one bit.
     
    [2] A bunch of semi-literate Azeri soldiers destroyed in a few days what had taken highly skilled and cultured Armenian craftsmen centuries to produce. Not the UN, not the ‘World Community’ – nobody – punished the criminals, nor did anything else about it. Nobody but us cares.
     
    Like it or not, only three things count in the real world we live in: population numbers, military power, and wealth  (not in any particular order)
    Let’s all work towards those goals.

  14. Avery jan… i respect your point of view.. however, I am tired of having to listen to negative and doubtfulness of non-Armenians and yes also of Armenians about our culture and history not being important or important enough to be the truth..

    My whole reason for stating what I did about RA stemmed from how condonscending he sounded about this matter… and I did not appreciate that.. I also don’t appreciate when one talks negatively or with a negative tone about our history or culture… i just did not like how he came off and i expressed it.. my apologies if it offended you or him…..

    This discovery and others before this in Armenia is great evidence that our culture is ancient and rich… I for one do not believe that the scientists who discovered them will just pull anything out of their hat without extensive research… i personally believe that Armenian culture has an absolute chance to be THE culture that used/presented/ created many matters before many other cultures.. and if one does not believe that is the case, i would like some facts/information showing me otherwise..

    No matter how scientific, or mathematical one is, at the end of the day, these artifacts were found on OUR lands.. and one should be happy and proud… regardless.. now if it turns out to be someone else’s artifacts then by all means we can give credit to them but for now.. it is on the Armenian lands …..where Armenians (majority) lived and flourished and died..

    Thank you
    Gayane

  15. Gayane: “This discovery and others before this in Armenia is great evidence that our culture is ancient and rich… I for one do not believe that the scientists who discovered them will just pull anything out of their hat without extensive research…”
    But where is the evidence connecting this winery to us?
    “i personally believe that Armenian culture has an absolute chance to be THE culture that used/presented/ created many matters before many other cultures..”
    But that’s a belief. How do you know this? You’re expressing a belief based on an emotional desire, a need for your Armenian identity to be important in the eyes of the world. If you say this to an odar and he asks you “how do you know?”, “where is the evidence?” what do you say? My whole point is about critically evaluating any evidence.
    One should not claim something to be true without backing it up with good evidence.
    Karekin,
    If we go by the legend of Haik, how do we know there weren’t people already living in the Armenian region? And I’m still trying to make sense of your connection between hominid migration 1.6 million years ago and the 6100 year old winery.
    But there is an emotional aspect of this that Avery touched on that is still very important. We do have a long history that can’t be disputed, yet Turkey is trying to hide it because it’s a threat to the imagined Turkish history and thus Turkish identity. What’s more, Turkey is sitting on top of our history. They can present it any way they can. Avery, that TA commercial, is infuriating as all hell.

  16. gayane:
    No offense. I understand your frustration.
    We have many amongst us – and I am definitely not saying RA is one – who denigrate or belittle most everything Armenian. I am guessing it’s the latent effects of centuries of living under the Ottoman yoke as 2nd class subjects.

  17. Armenians have serious psychological issues, which in my opinion stems from growing up being told that Armenians are victims and a subjugated people. When it come to matters pertaining to all things Armenian, we tend to put everything under an electron microscope. At the same time, however, we enthusiastically and happily accept everything and anything told to us by others, especially westerners.
     
    Are there any Britons that question the official set age of Stonehenge (2300BC)? The answer is, no. Britons take unconditional pride in their Stonehenge. If their archeologists/historians say its XYZ – for Britons its XYZ. End of story. Nevertheless, has anybody asked how was the stone construction in question aged? How do you date stone to about 2300 BC? The answer is, guess work. Some artifacts/remains were found in the vicinity that was dated to the time in question. But couldn’t’ the megaliths have been constructed at a much later time? Of course it could have – but since British archeologists claim that Stonehenge is 4,300 years old, its 4,300 years old. Random Armenians don’t questions it.
     
    The fact is, Armenians are aboriginals/natives to Anatolia and southern Caucasus (Armenian Highlands). We are a fusion of the region’s aboriginal Aryan and Caucasian tribes. Thus, logically, those that lived in the region in question were proto-Armenians – at the very least. The Armenian Highlands are sacred for mankind primarily because it is the birthplace for human civilization.
     
    The following site might help some you: http://arevordi.blogspot.com/

  18. Random Armenian, do you have any theory or you just like to question things for the sake of questioning them? Whose winery is it? Who was living there before us? You think there is no evidence that links the winery to Armenians? So where is the evidence that links it to any other ethnic group? It is very safe to assume that we are the continuation of people who used to live there even if we are very different from them. I don’t know any other group that occupied the region besides the Armenians. Do you?  

  19. Turkey will never find anything that old. Even if they went back to Mongolia.
    If Turks did find anything that old in Turkey, they can’t take credit for it since they are from Mongolia.

  20. Arevordi jan… thank you for the post.. and thank you for the blog.. it was absolutely brilliantly done.. i will share that with everyone I know…

    RA jan.. if otar tells me how do i know or where is the evidence… you know what i would tell them???…I would ask the same of them… how do you know it is not ARmenian or where is your evidence that proves my statement to be inaccurate…that is what I would tell them…

    Avery/RA JANE JAN.. i understand what you both are trying to express and say.. i truly do… but sometimes and just as Arevordi beautifully stated… sometimes what it is is just that..no questions about it..to me this discovery is just is..an Armenian piece of history and culture discovered unless proven otherwise..  

  21. The real problem is that during the last 90 years so much Armenian history and culture has been either stolen, appropriated or made invisible by others that the last thing an Armenian should do at this point is to encourage more of the same. And yes, there have been some significant finds made in Anatolia – aka, Turkey, some dating to 9000 years ago (at Catal Huyuk), but needless to say, those finds have nothing to do with Turks since they pre-date anything Turkish in Anatolia by 8000+ years. Much more plausible is that everything found there is actually proto-Armenian, just like the winery – because, guess what – it ain’t Turkish, no matter how you slice it. 

  22. I think the major communication issue here is that when someone says “where’s your evidence”, it is translated by the recipient to mean “you’re wrong and you don’t have the evidence”. That is not what I’m saying. Please understand that. What I am saying, is that here’s an announcement and a scientific paper that shows evidence of a 6100 winery in what is today Armenia. But the paper does not present any additional evidence as to who made and used that winery. To point to that paper and say it was made by Armenians is unsupportable, *until* you have additional evidence making that link. It would not surprise me if there is a link, a connection to us. But until then, it’s an assumption.
    And people are getting upset over me point out that it’s an assumption and then admitting that it is an assumption!
    gayane, if you make an assertion, you can’t push the burden of proof onto others. It’s just not going to work and the other person should not take what you say seriously.
    And there is nothing wrong with what I said. Without good evidence to back it up, it’s just an assumption.
    Arevordi, I’m not sure you’re winning much credibility with me with the assertion on your blog that 9/11 was an inside job. I’ve seen a lot of 9/11 conspiracy ideas and they tend to not hold up.

  23. Dear Random Armenian,
    We are very lucky that wine and shoe making businesses found in Eastern part of Armenia, if it was in Western part…. WOW!!!! ATAA would put up a Turkish wedding dance with “Dohol and Zurna”,  in front of Obama’s office..
    I am very much interested to hear, when Turks officially will mark the presence of  Armenian people of Urartian origin, in Anatolia, especially with their lasted discoveries around Van area!! be a proud Armenian..does not matter if our history is 3000 or 6000 years old…we are one of the few old ancient nations of the world!!

  24. That is what I say Grish jan..:)  I was laughing so hard on your statement of dohol zurna part.. you are too funny…:)

    RA– guess we have to agree to disagree my friend.. and that is ok.. i say these were found on our lands, and naturally it belongs to civilization that housed Armenians or proto-Armenian.. either way, it belongs to some bloodline of Armenian nation until proven otherwise…

    Gayane

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