Weird that the drunken Assyrian Empire fell in that period. ;^) In fact, they fell all the time, and their servants had to carry them home.
Posted on 11/07/2021 9:19:26 AM PST by SunkenCiv
Archaeologists have excavated the first, and what they believe is the oldest, industrial wine press in northern Mesopotamia dating back more than 2,700 years and coinciding with a sharp rise in wine demand among the ruling imperial elites of Assyria.
One of the world's earliest empires, Assyria was located in the northern part of Mesopotamia - most of modern-day Iraq, as well as parts of Iran, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey...
Unearthed at the archaeological site of Khanis, near the northern Iraqi province of Dohuk, the discovery's value lies partly in its historical context, Bonacossi added.
Assyrian scripture has previously pointed to an increased demand in wine, especially among members of court and the broader social elite. It was used in various ceremonial practices among the rich.
Archaeobotanical remains have also shown an expansion in vineyards in the area at that time.
"In the late Assyrian period, between the 8th and the 7th century BC, there was a dramatic increase ... in wine demand and in wine production," said Bonacossi. "The imperial Assyrian court asked for more and more wine."
The discovery includes 14 installations carved into mountain rocks. The upper, square-shaped basins were used by people to press grapes underfoot, extracting the juice which ran off into the lower circular basins.
The grape juice was then collected in jars, fermented and sold on a large scale.
The site was discovered by a group of Italian archaeologists from the university of Udine in cooperation with antiquities authorities in Dohuk.
The teams are working on adding the ancient structure to the UNESCO world heritage list.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Additional reporting and writing by Nadeen Ebrahim.
Weird that the drunken Assyrian Empire fell in that period. ;^) In fact, they fell all the time, and their servants had to carry them home.
I suppose the experts know what they’re talking about. But to me, it just looks like a few holes in the ground that might have been made 20 years ago.
Our betters never change, do they?
This is the biggest find since a man working on the land where Woodstock was held found an old Boone’s Farm booze bottle left behind August 19, 1969 in Bethel, New York.
Also historic.
Doesn't look like a very good factory site, but I guess using impervious rocks and the built-in slope on the hill was practical.
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LOL.
5.56mm
The Assyrian kings of that era had a favorite phrase for their commemorative self-aggrandizing battle scenes — “I burned with fire”. ;^) Now, imagine the same kings a little hungover and thirsty. Heh... “just build it here, no, I don’t care how screwy the site is. It’ll be both our asses otherwise!”
I can imagine the man taking the first sip:
“Not bad. I’m thinking there could be a market for this stuff.”
Civilization came with distillation.
That’s why we listen to them, not you.
“Give me an F! Give me an R! Give me an A!” Heh... “This Woodstock reunion is great! Joe, you remember when we were here last time?” “No.”
They’ve uncorked a controversy with this find...
Boone’s Farm brings back memories lol. They say it was aged on the truck.
With agriculture came distillation and civilization. :^)
Those are clearly 'wine-shaped' holes.
Well, wine’s a liquid, so, technically, ALL holes are wine-shaped...
Probably some of the first words spoken by man. Followed by...
Across the pond the assault has advanced to the NHS telling everyone how much they can drink in standard units regardless of height, weight, or X-Y chromosome combination.
Wow, I thought our family press from 1920 was old.
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