Archeologists found a more than 3,000-year old wine cellar nestled near Israel's modern wineries.
The cellar contained 40 ancient jugs that would have each held 50-liters of wine possibly flavored with honey and mint, a Brandeis University news release reported. The discovery was made in a vast Canaanite city called Tel Kabri in the ruins of an ancient palace; the site is believed to have originated in 1,700 B.C.
"This is a hugely significant discovery -- it's a wine cellar that, to our knowledge, is largely unmatched in age and size," Eric Cline, chair of the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at The George Washington University, said.
Associtate director Andrew Koh, assistant professor of classical studies at Brandeis University, analyzed the jar fragments that once held the sweet wine using organic residue analysis. The researchers noticed traces of tartaric and syringic acid, which both indicate that wine was once in contact with the pottery pieces.
Koh also found traces of "honey, mint, cinnamon bark, juniper berries and resins," which were common ingredients in ancient Egyptian medical wines.
The researchers found uniformity in the chemical composition of each of the many wine jugs.
"This wasn't moonshine that someone was brewing in their basement, eyeballing the measurements," Koh said in the statement. "This wine's recipe was strictly followed in each and every jar."
It is believed the wine was prepared for the local "upper crust."
"The wine cellar was located near a hall where banquets took place, a place where the Kabri elite and possibly foreign guests consumed goat meat and wine," Assaf Yasur-Landau, chair of the Department of Maritime Civilizations at the University of Haifa, co-directed the excavation, said.
The team found two doors leading from the wine cellar that most likely once led to additional storage rooms.
The findings will be presented at an American Schools of Oriental Research meeting.
