Cohen, Pnina, Bacilieri, Roberto, Ramos-Madrigal, Jazmín et al. (14 more authors) (2023) Ancient DNA from a lost Negev Highlands desert grape reveals a Late Antiquity wine lineage. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. e2213563120. ISSN 1091-6490
Abstract
Recent excavations of Late Antiquity settlements in the Negev Highlands of southern Israel uncovered a society that established commercial-scale viticulture in an arid environment [D. Fuks et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.117, 19780-19791 (2020)]. We applied target-enriched genome-wide sequencing and radiocarbon dating to examine grapevine pips that were excavated at three of these sites. Our analyses revealed centuries long and continuous grape cultivation in the Southern Levant. The genetically diverse pips also provided clues to ancient cultivation strategies aimed at improving agricultural productivity and ensuring food security. Applying genomic prediction analysis, a pip dated to the eighth century CE was determined to likely be from a white grape, to date the oldest to be identified. In a kinship analysis, another pip was found to be descendant from a modern Greek cultivar and was thus linked with several popular historic wines that were once traded across the Byzantine Empire. These findings shed light on historical Byzantine trading networks and on the genetic contribution of Levantine varieties to the classic Aegean landscape.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023 the Author(s). |
Keywords: | ancient DNA,archaeobotany,Late Antiquity,Negev Highlands,viticulture |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (York) > Archaeology (York) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number EUROPEAN COMMISSION 842577 |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 05 May 2023 15:50 |
Last Modified: | 21 Jan 2025 18:08 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2213563120 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1073/pnas.2213563120 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:198971 |