Palynological and Archaeological Evidence for Ritual Use of Wine in the Kura-Araxes Period at Aradetis Orgora (Georgia, Caucasus)

ABSTRACT

Pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs from two zoomorphic Kura-Araxes vessels (ca. 3000 b.c.) from Aradetis Orgora suggest they were utilized for the ritual consumption of wine and likely represent the beginning of the enduring tradition of animal-shaped wine-drinking containers in Georgia. This hypothesis is supported by archaeological and geoarchaeological data: they resemble later wine-containing vessels from Georgia and elsewhere and were found in a building whose context is suggestive of a small shrine. Their palynological spectra match those of present-day wine and wine containers of other periods. One of them was intact, with only a small access hole; consequently, its palynological spectrum can be utilized as a standard for determining the presence of wine in other archaeological vessels. Palynological analyses from different contexts of the Aradetis Orgora settlement and its cemetery (Doghlauri) yielded other significant results regarding the practice of viticulture and the cultural relevance of wine during the Kura-Araxes period.

KEYWORDS:

• Southern Caucasus
• Early Bronze Age
• Kura-Araxes culture
• palynology
• soil micromorphology
• ceramics
• wine
• ritual

Acknowledgements

Excavations at Aradetis Orgora were funded by Ca’ Foscari University, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affair, the Italian Ministry of Education (PRIN 2009 project), and private sponsors (Metamondo Tour Operator). The authors would like to express their gratitude to Prof. David Lordkipanidze (General Director, GNM) and Dr. Zurab Makharadze (Director of Archaeological Centre, GNM) for the permission to excavate at the site and for their continuing cooperation with the activities of the expedition. Palynological work was supported by the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation (Grant № 217120). We also would like to thank Tamar Khakhutashvili, Tamar Mchedlidze, Manana Burduli, and Tsitsino Turkiashvili for help in technical work during the preparation of the manuscript, Marylin Kelly-Buccellati, David I. Owen, and Assunta Florenzano for English editing, and two anonymous reviewers for their useful suggestions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author Biographies

Eliso Kvavadze (Ph.D. 1990, Institute of Geology of Georgian SSR Academy) is Chief Research Associate at the Palaeoantropology and Palaeobiology Research Institute of the Georgian National Museum of Tbilisi (Georgia) and Associate Professor of Georgian-American University of Tbilisi. Her research interests focus on palynology of archaeological sites, palaeoecology, climate change, human activities and impact on the natural environment, palaeodiet, and paleopharmacology. Over the past 10 years, she participated in/coordinated more than 15 local and international projects.

Giovanni Boschian (M.A. 1985, Trieste University) is is geologist and Associate Professor of Anthropology at the Department of Biology of the University of Pisa (Italy). The main topic of his research is the study of hominin-environment interactions that result in behavioral/cultural adaptations to environmental change. He works mostly on cave sites and their formation processes, applying geoarchaeological and soil micromorphological techniques to the study of natural and anthropogenic sediments. In recent times, he worked on the reaction of Mediterranean environments and populations to Late Pleistocene cold phases, on the Neandertal substitution by Ancient Modern Humans in Italy, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, on the pastoral use of caves by Neolithic people in the Mediterranean area, and on Copper Age settlements in the Southern Caucasus.

Maia Chichinadze (Ph.D. 2013, Ilia State University Tbilisi) is Researcher at the Institute of Palaeoanthropology and Palaeobiology Research of the National Museum of the Georgian National Museum of Tbilisi. Her research interests concern palynological study of archaeological material, the reconstruction of palaeoecology, climate changes, human impact and activity, palaeodiet, and paleopharmacology. She was principal investigator of the project: “Role of Palynology in the Study of Classical Necropoleis of Western Georgia” (Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation) and leading participant in several national scientific projects.

Iulon Gagoshidze (Ph.D. 1985, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University) was formerly head of the Archaeological Heritage Management Department (National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation), and is presently a scientific consultant at the Georgian National Museum of Tbilisi (Georgia), Academician of the Gelati Academy of Sciences. He is a specialist in Classical Archaeology (Achaemenid, Hellenistic, and Roman periods). Since 1956, he has been a member of archaeological expeditions in Georgia, Crimea, Tajikistan, and Azerbaijan and, since 1966, he has headed archaeological expeditions in Georgia, Cyprus, and Israel and is co-director of the Georgian-Italian Shida Kartli Archeological Project.

Katia Gavagnin (Ph.D. 2006, Turin University) is post-doctoral fellow at Udine University, and was previously post-doctoral fellow at Ca' Foscari University of Venice. She took part, both as site supervisor and as ceramacist, in archaeological expeditions in Italy and Syria (Tell Ahmar, Tell Beydar) and is presently a member of the Georgian-Shida-Kartli Archaeological Project in Georgia and of the Land of Nineveh Archaeological Project in Iraqi Kurdistan. Her main field of research is pre-classical ceramics of both Upper Mesopotamia and the Southern Caucasus.

Inga Martkoplishvili (Ph.D. 2017, Ilia State University Tbilisi) is Scientist at the Palaeoanthropology and Paleobiology Research Institute of the Georgian National Museum of Tbilisi (Georgia). Her main research interests are: the palynology of archaeological sites, palaeoecology, human diet, and medicinal plants. She has been part of eight national and international research projects, including the Volkswagen Foundation, the Rustaveli Foundation, and the International Associated Laboratories, France).

Elena Rova (Ph.D. 1991, “La Sapienza University of Rome) is an Associate Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology at Ca' Foscari University of Venice (Italy). Her main research field is the archaeology of Upper Mesopotamia and the Southern Caucasus in the 4th–2nd millennia b.c. (Late Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages). She has conducted fieldwork in Iraq, Syria, and Turkey and, since 2009, has been co-director of the Georgian-Italian Shida Kartli Archeological Project. She was also a local coordinator of the ARCANE project (2006–2011, Europaean Science Foundation).

ORCID

Giovanni Boschian http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4324-6353

Maia Chichinadze http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3209-3654

Katia Gavagnin http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8437-2586

Elena Rova http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3053-1198

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.