https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7324-4925
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ABSTRACT
Chemical analysis of archaeological artefacts is used with increasing regularity to understand how wine was produced, traded, and consumed in the past and to shed light on its antiquity. Based both on an extensive review of the published literature and on new analyses, here we critically evaluate the diverse range of methodological approaches that have been used for wine identification. Overall, we conclude that currently none of the proposed chemical ‘biomarkers’ for wine provide unequivocal evidence. Nevertheless, valid interpretations may be offered if systematically supported by additional contextual data, such as archaeobotanical evidence. We found the extraction and detection method to be particularly crucial for successful identification. We urge the use of controls and quantification to rule out false positives. DNA sequencing offers potential for identifying wine and provides much higher taxonomic resolution, but work is needed to determine the limits of DNA survival on artefacts.
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Paola Orecchioni and Antonino Meo from the Università degli studi di Roma Tor Vergata, Viva Sacco from the Ecole Française de Rome, and Olga Lozovskaya from the Institute for the History of Material Culture, Russian Academy of Sciences for providing the archaeological pottery. We also thank Ed Bergström for his valuable support in the comparative study of extraction methods. The two anonymous reviewers are also thanked for their comments and questions, which helped to improve the discussion and the quality of the paper.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes on contributors
Léa Drieu graduated with a Master's degree in Analytical Science from the University of Strasbourg and a PhD in Prehistory from the University Côte d’Azur (Nice, France). Her research is centred on the content of ancient pottery, in particular in the framework of her post-doctoral position at the University of York, focusing on Mediterranean Early Medieval trade and the content of transport amphorae.
Maxime Rageot is a Post-Doctoral Researcher in the Biomolecular archaeology Group at the University of Tübingen (Germany) and in the Department of Pre- and Protohistory at the University of Munich (LMU). His research interests lie in the systems of transformation of ancient organic substances in recent Prehistory, using archaeology, analytical chemistry and experimental-archaeology.
Nathan Wales holds a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship in the Department of Archaeology at the University of York, United Kingdom. His research is focused on characterizing ancient DNA from archaeological samples to understand the cultivation and spread of domesticated plants, especially grapevine.
Ben Stern (PhD) is a Lecturer in Archaeological Science. Ben’s research falls at the interface between analytical chemistry and archaeology, and mainly focuses on organic residue analysis to find direct molecular, trace element and isotopic evidence for the identification and use of archaeological materials.
Jasmine Lundy is a PhD candidate at BioArch, The University of York. The focus of her PhD research is to understand cuisine in Sicily during the Middle Ages, using organic residue analysis (ORA) to identify the use of cooking pots and other domestic containers. Previously, Jasmine studied an MSc in Archaeological Science at the University of Oxford. There her research focused on the use of supercritical fluids in an alternative method for extracting lipids from archaeological ceramics.
Maximilian Zerrer graduated with a BA in Archaeology from the University of Tübingen and is currently reading for an MSc in Archaeological Science at Tübingen.
Isabella Gaffney is a PhD student at the University of York. She graduated with a Bsc in chemistry from the University of Nottingham and an Msc in bioarchaeology from the University of York. Her current research investigates the chemical indicators of drought stress found in ancient maize.
Manon Bondetti is a Postdoctoral Research Assistant at BioArCh, University of York. She is a science-based archaeologist with a major interest in prehistoric pottery function and ancient culinary practices in Eurasia, using organic residue analysis.
Cynthianne Spiteri is the Junior Professor for Archaeometry at the Eberhard Karls Universität, Tübingen. She specialises in Organic Residue Analysis, which aims at characterising lipid biomolecules extracted from ceramic vessels and dental calculus using Gas Chromatography (GC), GC-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), GC-combustion-Isotope Ratio-Mass Spectrometry (GC-c-IRMS) and Sequential Thermal Desorption and Pyrolysis GC-MS. Her main research interests lie in the study of ancient diets and cuisine, in particular during periods of transition.
Jane Thomas-Oates is Chair of Analytical Science and Director of the Centre of Excellence in Mass Spectrometry at the University of York, York, UK. She is a biological mass spectrometrist, who applies state of the art mass spectrometry in interdisciplinary research programmes, with particular interests in (modern and ancient) plant science, agriculture and the environment.
Oliver E. Craig is a Professor of Archaeological Science at the University of York, where he directs the BioArCh research group. His main research is occupied with the analysis of ancient biomolecules from ancient skeletal remains and archaeological artefacts to provide insights into past human activities. His period interests are varied but lie in temporal transitions in human diets, cuisine and subsistence practices and the impact that dietary changes had on social evolution, health and the environment. He has published over 100 peer reviewed articles on this topic.