US EditionEven the common people drank wine in Troy
- Researchers from the Universities of Tbingen, Bonn, and Jena discovered chemical evidence that wine consumption in Troy, also known as Hisarlik, was not limited to the elite but was also enjoyed by the common people between 2500-2000 BCE.
- Excavations at Troy, led by Heinrich Schliemann in the late 19th century and later by the University of Tbingen from 1987 to 2012, provided the ancient relics for analysis.
- The analysis focused on depas goblets, also known as depas amphikypellon, excavated from Trojan dig sites, which are two-handled drinking cups measuring roughly 4.7-15.75 inches tall and holding 0.25-1 liter of liquid.
- Chemical analysis revealed the presence of succinic and pyruvic acids, which only occur during grape juice fermentation, confirming that wine, and not just grape juice, was consumed from these vessels, supporting Heinrich Schliemann's conjecture that these goblets were used for celebrations as described in the Iliad.
- This discovery, published in the April edition of the American Journal of Archaeology, suggests wine was a widely appreciated drink in Troy, challenging the notion that it was exclusively reserved for the wealthy and potentially supporting the historicity of events described in Homer's Iliad.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Trojans of all classes enjoyed a nice jug of wine
Homer’s The Iliad recounts one of history’s greatest legendary epics. It also describes a round of drinks shared by the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus. “Hephaestus spoke, then stood up, passed a double goblet across to his dear mother… As he spoke, the white-armed goddess Hera smiled,” Homer writes. “She reached for her son’s goblet. He poured the drink, going from right to left, for all the other gods, drawing off sweet nectar from the mix…
Uncorking the past: new analysis of Troy findings rewrites the story of wine in the early bronze age
Depas amphikypellon from Schliemann’s excavations at Troy. Institute of Classical Archaeology at the University of Tübingen/Valentin Marquardt, CC BY-SAWine drinking in ancient Troy was not restricted to the upper classes, as has long been supposed – something our new research has established for the first time. Colleagues at the University of Tübingen and I have discovered that wine was also enjoyed by the common folk, independent of upper-clas…
Even the common people drank wine in Troy
For the first time ever, a team of researchers has found chemical evidence that wine was actually drunk in Troy, verifying a conjecture of Heinrich Schliemann, who discovered the legendary fortress city in the 19th century. In addition, the researchers from the Universities of Tübingen, Bonn and Jena found that not only members of the Trojan elite but the common people too drank wine. Their findings are now being published in the April edition o…
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