CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 14Archaeology and ancient environmental studiesBiblical Studies and InterpretationArchaeology and Historical Studies

Residue analysis evidence for wine enriched with vanilla consumed in Jerusalem on the eve of the Babylonian destruction in 586 BCE

Open access
Amir, Ayala, Finkelstein, Israel, Shalev, Yiftah, Uziel, Joe, Chalaf, Ortal, Freud, Liora, Neumann, Ronny, Gadot, Yuval·2022·PLOS ONE
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0266085PMC PMC8963535
Open this paper in CoChat — free accountOpen PDF

Abstract

The article presents results of residue analysis, based on Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS) measurements, conducted on 13 ceramic storage jars unearthed in the Babylonian destruction layer (586 BCE) in Jerusalem. Five of the jars bear rosette stamp impressions on their handles, indicating that their content was related to the kingdom of Judah’s royal economy. The identification of the original contents remains is significant for the understanding of many aspects related to the nutrition, economy and international trade in the ancient Levant. The study shed light on the contents of the jars and the destruction process of the buildings in which they were found. The jars were used alternatively for storing wine and olive oil. The wine was flavored with vanilla. These results attest to the wine consumption habits of the Judahite elite and echo Jerusalem’s involvement in the trans-regional South Arabian trade of spices and other lucrative commodities on the eve of its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1371/journal.pone.0266085

Cites

2 of 2 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • The lengthy period of use of Building 100, determined from radiocarbon dates, may be emblematic of the city's long-term economic flourishing and relative political stability up until the Babylonian invasion at the beginning of the 6th century BC.

    “The lengthy period of use of Building 100, determined from our radiocarbon dates, may be emblematic of the city’s long-term economic flourishing and relative political stability (62, 63) up until the Babylonian invasion at the beginning of the 6th century BC.”

    From Radiocarbon chronology of Iron Age Jerusalem reveals calibration offsets and architectural developments (2024) · cites this paper as [62]

    Split into 2 atoms — 0 confirmed, 1 partially supported, 0 disputed, 0 misattributed, 1 unverifiable. Expand the claim to see per-atom verdicts.

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 58

  1. [1]Lemaire A. New Perspectives on the Trade between Judah and South Arabia. In: Lubetski M, Lubetski E, editors. New inscriptions and seals relating to the biblical world. Society of Biblical Literature; 2012. pp. 93– 110. doi: 10.2307/j.ctt32bzp2.12 · DOI
  2. [2]Geva H. Jerusalem’s population in antiquity: A minimalist view. Tel Aviv. 2014; 41: 131– 160. doi: 10.1179/0334435514Z.00000000041 · DOI
  3. [3]Finkelstein I. Ḥȯrvat Qiṭmīt and the Southern Trade in the Late Iron Age II. Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins (1953-). 1992; 108: 156– 170.
  4. [4]Tebes JM. Assyrians, Judaeans, pastoral groups, and the trade patterns in the late Iron Age Negev. History Compass. 2007; 5: 619– 631. doi: 10.1111/j.1478-0542.2007.00416.x · DOI
  5. [5]Danielson AJ. Culinary Traditions in the Borderlands of Judah and Edom during the Late Iron Age. Tel Aviv. 2021; 48: 87– 111. doi: 10.1080/03344355.2021.1904683 · DOI
  6. [6]Evershed RP. Organic residue analysis in archaeology: the archaeological biomarker revolution*. Archaeometry. 2008; 50: 895– 924. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-4754.2008.00446.x · DOI
  7. [7]Roffet-Salque M, Evershed RP, Russell A. Tracing pottery use through lipid residue analysis. In: Nieuwenhuyse OP, editor. Relentlessly plain: seventh millennium ceramics at tell Sabi Abyad, Syria. Oxbow Books; 2018. pp. 354– 363. doi: 10.2307/j.ctvh1dhb9.22 · DOI
  8. [8]Amir A, Gadot Y, Weitzel J, Finkelstein I, Neumann R, Bezzel H, et al. Heated beeswax usage in mortuary practices: The case of Ḥorvat Tevet (Jezreel Valley, Israel) ca. 1000 BCE. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. 2021; 36: 102904. doi: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.102904 · DOI
  9. [9]Arie E, Rosen B, Namdar D. Cannabis and frankincense at the Judahite shrine of Arad. Tel Aviv. 2020; 47: 5– 28. doi: 10.1080/03344355.2020.1732046 · DOI
  10. [10]Linares V, Adams MJ, Cradic MS, Finkelstein I, Lipschits O, Martin MAS, et al. First evidence for vanillin in the old world: Its use as mortuary offering in Middle Bronze Canaan. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. 2019; 25: 77– 84. doi: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2019.03.034 · DOI
  11. [11]Gilboa A, Namdar D. On the Beginnings of South Asian Spice Trade with the Mediterranean Region: A Review. Radiocarbon. 2015; 57: 265– 283. doi: 10.2458/azu_rc.57.18562 · DOI
  12. [12]Shalev Y, Shalom N, Bocher E, Gadot Y. New evidence on the location and nature of iron age, Persian and early Hellenistic period Jerusalem. Tel Aviv. 2020; 47: 149– 172. doi: 10.1080/03344355.2020.1707451 · DOI
  13. [14]Mendel-Geberovich A, Chalaf O, Uziel J. The People Behind the Stamps: A Newly-Found Group of Bullae and a Seal from the City of David, Jerusalem. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research. 2020; 384: 159– 182. doi: 10.1086/710385 · DOI
  14. [15]Koch I, Lipschits O. The Rosette Stamped Jar Handle System and the Kingdom of Judah at the End of the First Temple Period. Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins (1953-). 2013; 129: 55– 78.
  15. [16]Ben-Yosef E, Millman M, Shaar R, Tauxe L, Lipschits O. Six centuries of geomagnetic intensity variations recorded by royal Judean stamped jar handles. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2017; 114: 2160– 2165. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1615797114 28193874 PMC5338537 · DOI · Paper page
  16. [17]Gitin S. Iron IIC Judah. In: Gitin S, editor. The Ancient Pottery of Israel and Its Neighbors: From the Iron Age through the Hellenistic Period. Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society; 2015. pp. 345– 363.
  17. [18]Beit-Arieh I, Freud L. Iron Age IIC: Northeastern Negev. In: Gitin S, editor. The Ancient Pottery of Israel and Its Neighbors: from the Iron Age through the Hellenistic Period. Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society; 2015. pp. 365– 382.
  18. [19]Gadot Y, Uziel J. The monumentality of Iron Age Jerusalem prior to the 8th century BCE. Tel Aviv. 2017; 44: 123– 140. doi: 10.1080/03344355.2017.1357273 · DOI
  19. [20]Weiner S. Microarchaeology: beyond the visible archaeological record. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2010. doi: 10.1017/CBO9780511811210 · DOI
  20. [21]Pecci A, Giorgi G, Salvini L, Cau Ontiveros MÁ. Identifying wine markers in ceramics and plasters using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Experimental and archaeological materials. J Archaeol Sci. 2013; 40: 109– 115. doi: 10.1016/j.jas.2012.05.001 · DOI
  21. [22]McGovern PE, Luley BP, Rovira N, Mirzoian A, Callahan MP, Smith KE, et al. Beginning of viniculture in France. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2013; 110: 10147– 10152. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1216126110 23733937 PMC3690885 · DOI
  22. [23]McGovern P, Jalabadze M, Batiuk S, Callahan MP, Smith KE, Hall GR, et al. Early Neolithic wine of Georgia in the South Caucasus. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2017; 114: E10309– E10318. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1714728114 29133421 PMC5715782 · DOI
  23. [24]Biasoto ACT, Catharino RR, Sanvido GB, Eberlin MN, da Silva MAAP. Flavour characterization of red wines by descriptive analysis and ESI mass spectrometry. Food Qual Prefer. 2010; 21: 755– 762. doi: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2010.07.005 · DOI
  24. [25]Drieu L, Rageot M, Wales N, Stern B, Lundy J, Zerrer M, et al. Is it possible to identify ancient wine production using biomolecular approaches? STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research. 2020; 6: 16– 29. doi: 10.1080/20548923.2020.1738728 · DOI
  25. [26]Guasch-Jané MR, Ibern-Gómez M, Andrés-Lacueva C, Jáuregui O, Lamuela-Raventós RM. Liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry in tandem mode applied for the identification of wine markers in residues from ancient Egyptian vessels. Anal Chem. 2004; 76: 1672– 1677. doi: 10.1021/ac035082z 15018566 · DOI
  26. [27]Kennedy JA, Saucier C, Glories Y. Grape and Wine Phenolics: History and Perspective. Am J Enol Vitic. 2006; 57: 239– 248.
  27. [28]García E, Chacón JL, Martínez J, Izquierdo PM. Changes in Volatile Compounds during Ripening in Grapes of Airén, Macabeo and Chardonnay White Varieties Grown in La Mancha Region (Spain). Food Science and Technology International. 2003; 9: 33– 41. doi: 10.1177/1082013203009001006 · DOI
  28. [29]Conde C, Silva PF, Fontes N, Dias ACP, Tavares RM, João Sousa M, et al. Biochemical Changes throughout Grape Berry Development and Fruit and Wine Quality. Food. 2007; 1: 1– 22.
  29. [30]Faix O, Meier D, Fortmann I. Thermal degradation products of wood: Gas chromatography separation and massspectrometric characterization of monomeric lignin derived products. Holz als Roh- und Werkstoff. 1990; 48: 281– 285. doi: 10.1007/BF02626519 · DOI
  30. [31]Modugno F, Ribechini E, Colombini MP. Aromatic resin characterisation by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Raw and archaeological materials. J Chromatogr A. 2006; 1134: 298– 304. doi: 10.1016/j.chroma.2006.09.010 17034804 · DOI
  31. [32]McGovern PE, Mirzoian A, Hall GR. Ancient Egyptian herbal wines. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2009; 106: 7361– 7366. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0811578106 19365069 PMC2678600 · DOI
  32. [33]Koh AJ, Yasur-Landau A, Cline EH. Characterizing a Middle Bronze palatial wine cellar from Tel Kabri, Israel. PLoS ONE. 2014; 9: e106406. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0106406 25162228 PMC4146609 · DOI
  33. [34]McGovern PE, Glusker DL, Exner LJ, Voigt MM. Neolithic resinated wine. Nature. 1996; 381: 480– 481. doi: 10.1038/381480a0 · DOI
  34. [35]Foley BP, Hansson MC, Kourkoumelis DP, Theodoulou TA. Aspects of ancient Greek trade re-evaluated with amphora DNA evidence. J Archaeol Sci. 2012; 39: 389– 398. doi: 10.1016/j.jas.2011.09.025 · DOI
  35. [36]Shiloh Y. South Arabian Inscriptions from the City of David, Jerusalem. Palest Explor Q. 1987; 119: 9– 18. doi: 10.1179/peq.1987.119.1.9 · DOI
  36. [38]Finkelstein I. Essays on biblical historiography: from jeroboam II to john Hyrcanus I. Mohr Siebeck; 2021. doi: 10.1628/978-3-16-160854-4 · DOI
  37. [39]Riley FR. Olive oil production on Bronze Age Crete: nutritional properties, processing methods and storage life of Minoan olive oil. Oxford J Archeol. 2002; 21: 63– 75. doi: 10.1111/1468-0092.00149 · DOI
  38. [40]Koh AJ, Betancourt PP. Wine and olive oil from an Early Minoan I hilltop fort. Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry. 2010; 10: 15– 23.
  39. [41]Boskou D. Olive Oil. In: Gunstone FD, editor. Vegetable oils in food technology: composition, properties and uses. Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell; 2011. pp. 243– 271. doi: 10.1002/9781444339925.ch9 · DOI
  40. [42]Namdar D, Amrani A, Getzov N, Milevski I. Olive oil storage during the fifth and sixth millennia BC at Ein Zippori, Northern Israel. Isr J Plant Sci. 2015; 62: 65– 74. doi: 10.1080/07929978.2014.960733 · DOI
  41. [43]Beeston RF, Palatinus J, Beck C, Stout EC. Organic Residue Analysis of Pottery Sherds from Chrysokamino. In: Betancourt PP, editor. Hesperia Supplements. Princeton: The American School of Classical Studies at Athens; 2006. pp. 413– 428.
  42. [44]McGovern PE. Ancient Wine: The Search for the Origins of Viniculture. Princeton University Press; 2007.
  43. [45]Johnston A. An archaic amphora of Thasian type. Hesperia. 1991; 60: 363. doi: 10.2307/148070 · DOI
  44. [46]Lawall ML. Graffiti, wine selling, and the reuse of amphoras in the Athenian agora, CA. 430 to 400 B.C. Hesperia. 2000; 69: 3– 90. doi: 10.2307/148365 · DOI
  45. [47]Lawall ML. Amphoras without stamps: Chronologies and typologies from the Athenian agora. In: Kazakou M, editor. Proceedings of the 6th Scientific Meeting on Hellenistic Pottery, Volos. Athens; 2000. pp. 445–454.
  46. [48]Stolba V. Graffiti and dipinti. Panskoye I Vol 1 The Monumental building U6. Aarhus: Aarhus Universitetsforlag; 2002. pp. 228– 244. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9394(01)01373-3 11812425 · DOI
  47. [49]Foley BP, Dellaporta K, Sakellariou D, Bingham BS, Camilli R, Eustice RM, et al. The 2005 Chios ancient shipwreck survey: new methods for underwater archaeology. Hesperia. 2009; 78: 269– 305. doi: 10.2972/hesp.78.2.269 · DOI
  48. [50]Pecci A, Clarke J, Thomas M, Muslin J, van der Graaff I, Toniolo L, et al. Use and reuse of amphorae. Wine residues in Dressel 2–4 amphorae from Oplontis Villa B (Torre Annunziata, Italy). Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. 2017; 12: 515– 521. doi: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2017.02.025 · DOI
  49. [52]Charters S, Evershed RP, Blinkhorn PW, Denham V. Evidence for the mixing of fats and waxes in archaeological ceramics. Archaeometry. 1995; 37: 113– 127. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-4754.1995.tb00730.x · DOI
  50. [53]Chalaf O, Uziel J. Beyond the walls: New findings on the eastern slope of the City of David and their significance for understanding the urban development of Late Iron Age Jerusalem. City of David—Studies of Ancient Jerusalem. 2018; 13: 17– 32.
  51. [54]Lipschits O. Age of Empires: The History and Administration of Judah in the 8th–2nd Centuries BCE in Light of the Storage-Jar Stamp Impressions. Penn State University Press; 2021. doi: 10.5325/j.ctv1nc6rgw · DOI
  52. [55]Finkelstein I, Gadot Y, Langgut D. The Unique Specialised Economy of Judah under Assyrian Rule and its Impact on the Material Culture of the Kingdom. Palest Explor Q. 2021; 1– 19. doi: 10.1080/00310328.2021.1949531 · DOI
  53. [56]Ussishkin D. The dating of the lmlk storage jars and its implications: rejoinder to Lipschits, Sergi and Koch. Tel Aviv. 2011; 38: 220– 240. doi: 10.1179/033443511x13099584885466 · DOI
  54. [57]Namdar D, Neumann R, Goren Y, Weiner S. The contents of unusual cone-shaped vessels (cornets) from the Chalcolithic of the southern Levant. J Archaeol Sci. 2009; 36: 629– 636. doi: 10.1016/j.jas.2008.10.004 · DOI
  55. [58]Evershed RP, Heron C, Goad LJ. Analysis of organic residues of archaeological origin by high-temperature gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Analyst. 1990; 115: 1339. doi: 10.1039/an9901501339 · DOI
  56. [59]Charters S, Evershed RP, Goad LJ, Leyden A, Blinkhorn PW, Denham V. Quantification and distribution of lipid in archaeological ceramics: implications for sampling potsherds for organic residue analysis and the classification of vessel use. Archaeometry. 1993; 35: 211– 223. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-4754.1993.tb01036.x · DOI
  57. [60]Garnier N, Valamoti SM. Prehistoric wine-making at Dikili Tash (Northern Greece): Integrating residue analysis and archaeobotany. J Archaeol Sci. 2016; 74: 195– 206. doi: 10.1016/j.jas.2016.03.003 · DOI
  58. [61]Pecci A, Borgna E, Mileto S, Dalla Longa E, Bosi G, Florenzano A, et al. Wine consumption in Bronze Age Italy: combining organic residue analysis, botanical data and ceramic variability. J Archaeol Sci. 2020; 123: 105256. doi: 10.1016/j.jas.2020.105256 · DOI

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Amir, A., Finkelstein, I., Shalev, Y., Uziel, J., Chalaf, O., Freud, L., Neumann, R., & Gadot, Y.
Affiliations
  • Tel Aviv University (IL)
  • Israel Antiquities Authority (IL)
  • Weizmann Institute of Science (IL)
Corresponding author
Amir, Ayala
ORCID
Venue
PLOS ONE
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Published
2022-03-29
Volume
17
Issue
3
Pages
e0266085
ISSN
1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0266085
PMC
PMC8963535
OpenAlex
W4226030260
Cited by
14
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 1
FWCI
2.14
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
Bar-Ilan University
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Biblical Studies and Interpretation
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Archeology › Archaeology and Historical Studies
Keywords
vanilla, royal economy, storage jars, olive oil, spice trade, Nebuchadnezzar, ancient Levant, dietary intake
MeSH terms
Olive Oil, Commerce, Wine, Vanilla, Internationality

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review