Through the Grapevine: Tracing the Origins of Wine
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THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE: TRACING THE ORIGINS OF WINE DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Luke Gorton, M.A. Graduate Program in Greek and Latin The Ohio State University 2014 Dissertation Committee: Carolina López-Ruiz, Advisor Brian Joseph Sam Meier Copyright by Luke A. Gorton 2014 ABSTRACT This study examines the question of the origins and spread of wine, both comprehensively and throughout a number of regions of the Near East and the Mediterranean. Besides the introduction and the conclusion, the study is divided into four major chapters, each of which examines evidence from different fields. The first of these chapters discusses the evidence which can be found in the tomes of classical (that is, Greco-Roman) literature, while the second chapter examines the testimony of the diverse literature of the ancient Near East. The third chapter provides an analysis of the linguistic evidence for the spread of wine, focusing particularly on the origins of the international word for wine which is present in a number of different languages (and language families) of antiquity. The fourth chapter gives a summary of the various types of material evidence relevant to wine and the vine in antiquity, including testimony from the fields of palaeobotany, archaeology, and wine chemistry. Finally, the concluding chapter provides a synthesis of the various data adduced in the previous chapters, weaving all of the evidence together into a cohesive account of the origins and the spread of wine. It is seen that each discipline has much to contribute to the question at hand, providing critical testimony which both illuminates our understanding of the origins and the spread of wine and allows us to better understand issues pertaining to each discipline. ii For all of my teachers, both inside and outside of the classroom iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are a number of people who deserve thanks upon the successful completion of a project so large. My advisor, Carolina López-Ruiz of Classics, stands first on the list: she inspired me to conduct my first tentative research on the question of the origins of wine, and she subsequently encouraged me to write a dissertation on the topic. Likewise, this project would not have been possible without the expertise of my other committee members, Brian Joseph of Linguistics and Sam Meier of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, who have brought their own invaluable insight to this dissertation. Others who have shown interest in the project and made valuable suggestions include Sarah Iles Johnston, Jared Klein, and Will Batstone. Friends and fellow scholars Jackson Crawford and Margaret Day have also read significant portions of this work and contributed to its improvement. More generally, I am thankful to the faculty of the Classics Department at Ohio State for all they have done to further my studies and my career, and to the Graduate School for its generous fellowship support which facilitated the completion of this project. iv VITA 2007................................................................B.A. Spanish and Theology, Lee University 2009................................................................M.A. Linguistics, University of Georgia 2009 to present ..............................................Distinguished University Fellow, Department of Greek and Latin, The Ohio State University PUBLICATIONS “Evidence for Adverbial Origins of Final –ς on the Medieval and Modern Greek –οντας Participle”, Journal of Greek Linguistics 13.1 (Spring 2013) FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Greek and Latin v TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract........................................................................................................................ii Dedication....................................................................................................................iii Acknowledgments........................................................................................................iv Vita...............................................................................................................................v Table of Contents.........................................................................................................vi List of Figures..............................................................................................................vii Chapter 1: Introduction.................................................................................................1 Chapter 2: Greek and Roman Literature......................................................................20 Chapter 3: Near Eastern Literature..............................................................................79 Chapter 4: Linguistics: Tracing the “Wine” Word......................................................131 Chapter 5: Material Evidence: Palaeobotany, Archaeology, and Wine Chemistry.....194 Chapter 6: Conclusion: A Synthesis............................................................................265 Bibliography................................................................................................................297 vi LIST OF FIGURES Map of the Mediterranean and the Near East..................................................................323 vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Wine has been a part of human civilization for thousands of years. From the earliest recorded times until the present, the fermented juice of the grape has played an oversized role in cultures from Narbonne to Napa, from Babylon to Barcelona. It is present in the earliest literatures, attested in countless archaeological finds, an indispensable part of life for billions who have lived. As such, it is not surprising to find that countless authors have set their hands to telling the tale of wine in all of its manifestations, from guides on how to produce it to accounts of its many varieties to studies of its history. As there has been no shortage of literature on the topic of wine, so also there has been no shortage of quality research. If we are said to stand on the shoulders of giants, we truly do so when the topic is one as well-discussed as wine. Yet this study aims to approach the subject in a novel way, if that is possible. Although our topic is “wine”, the goal of this study is not to discuss wine throughout all of its manifestations, meanings, and literary appearances. Such a work has been undertaken many times in many guises,1 as the discussion of the relevant literature 1 As a partial list, see Bacci (1596), Barry (1775), Henderson (1824), Ellis (1861), Jamain (1901), Emerson (1902), Billiard (1913), Aragon (1916), Perrin (1938), Seltman (1957), Allen (1961), Hyams (1965), Younger (1966), Enjalbert (1975), Amerine and Singleton (1977), Weinhold (1978), Johnson (1989), Unwin (1991), McGovern (1995) and (2003), Phillips (2000), Estreicher (2006), and Lukacs (2012). 1 below will show. In a sense, the present work is significantly more narrow, focusing on one particular question within the broader scope of the topic of “wine”. Specifically, it seeks to shed light on the origins of wine, simultaneously asking three questions. First, when and where did the original domestication(s) of the grapevine and the production of wine from its fruit take place? Second (and more specifically), when and how did the introduction of wine and its attendant culture take place throughout the world of the Near East and the Mediterranean? Finally, where it is possible to ascertain, what did each culture think about the origins of wine, both in general and specifically in their culture? Related topics—the use of wine in a given society, for instance—are treated only insofar as they shed light on the question of origins. If a noted poet of ancient Greece enumerates the virtues of wine as he understands them, this study may not feel obligated to mention him or his encomium; if a less noted author of the same place and time period remarks on a legend concerning the introduction of wine into Greece from the East, he and his contribution to the question at hand are more likely to be noted herein. Although narrower in this sense than many treatises on wine, this study is also broader and more ambitious than the others (whether too ambitious or not must be left up to the judgment of the reader). Much of the literature on the topic of wine limits itself to evidence from certain fields: wine in literature, wine in archaeology, or palaeobotany (that is, the study of the history of plants). Some works mix one or two of these in a certain measure: the best books on the history of wine mention, at the very 2 least, both literary and archaeological evidence from ancient times.2 Yet in doing so they often treat both in passing, not giving one or the other the full weight it deserves. This is not to say that knowledge from each discipline is always worth equal weight, but in solving a riddle such as this we cannot afford to overlook any of our evidence. This study seeks to give a hearing to each of the various forms of evidence by devoting a section (or more) to each and attempting, as far as possible, to listen to what each has to say before synthesizing it all. In this sense, this study is broader than those which come before it, for it seeks to be a holistic attempt at ascertaining the origins of wine. This study also seeks to improve upon those which have come before it not only in the questions it asks but also in the breadth of knowledge