Wine History: Ancient Times

Wine in Ancient Times.
Wine was holy in the ancient world, figuring largely in the rituals of
Egyptians, Greek and Romans alike. But it was also a useful
alternative to well water, which was often unsafe. This section offers
a brief overall history of wine from the beginning of civilization
through ancient Rome.

Beginnings
Traces from wine have been found in ancient pottery dating as far back as
6000 B.C. in the Caucasus Mountains of what is present-day Georgia -- where
scholars believe that wine was first widely produced -- but also in Iran and Iraq
dating to 5000 B.C. and 3500 B.C, respectively.

It's believed that domesticated grapes were common in the Near East from the
beginning of the Bronze Age, as far back as 3200 B.C. Wine was almost
certainly made in Sumer and Egypt as early as 300 B.C. By 200 B.C. the
Chinese were importing domesticated wines grapes from Central Asia.

Ancient Egypt
Wine grape cultivation was probably introduced to Egypt from what is today
Lebanon around 3000 B.C., where is became an important component not
only of the economy, but also in Egyptian religious life. Winemaking scenes
appear on tomb walls, including that of Tutankhamun, or King Tut. (Traces of
wine have also been found Tut's tomb.) Eventually, five specific wines were
buried with the dead as part of the food and drink to be enjoyed in the afterlife.

But the early Egyptian kings did not drink wine, believing it to be the blood of
ancestors killed in battle with the gods, which, when it spilled on the ground
produced vines. They believed drunkenness was a madness caused by
drinking the blood of their ancestors.

Ancient Greece
Wine was cultivated in ancient Greece from the very earliest times. The
Greeks even had their own god of wine, Dionysus who represented wine's
intoxicating power as well as its benefits to society. In Greek mythology,
Dionysus' mission was to bring and end to care and worry with revelry and
song.

In general, wine in ancient Greece was mixed with water in special bowls
before it was drunk. Greek wines were exported all over the Mediterranean,
and were a major part of the ancient economy.

Ancient Rome
During the Roman Republic and Empire, wine was a vital part of the Roman
diet (particularly since the water could not always be trusted) and economy.
During this time, wine making practices became a more established, having
a significant historical impact on viticulture that is still being felt today. In fact,
wine production in the Roman Empire's provinces established nearly all of
the wine-producing regions of Western and Central Europe we know today.

Wine making technology improved a great deal during the Empire -- barrels
were developed for storing and shipping wine, and Bottles were used for the
first time. An early appellation system was even formed as some regions
gained reputations for better wines.

Like the Greeks, the Romans also had a god of wine, Bacchus (who is
pictured on the home page.) Bacchus' festival was known as the
Bacchanalia, a ceremonial soiree in which Romans partied with so much
abandon that the Senate finally had to clamp down.