Ancient Herbal Wines of Egypt and Palestine: A Photo Essay

Patrick McGovern at the University of Pennsylvania has been studying the origins of wine making for a very long time. Recently, his work with the excavators of the tomb of the early Egyptian king Scorpion I has illuminated aspects of early Egyptian use of medicinal wines, and revealed important trade connections with the Levantine region.

Scorpion I's tomb at Abydos, showing one of the chambers filled with wine jars before excavation. Photograph courtesy of German Institute of Archaeology, Cairo

A recent paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences written by McGovern and colleagues presents information about herbal wines at one of the early of Egyptian pre-dynastic tombs—that of the Scorpion I, built about 3150 BC. Storage rooms in the tomb contained 700 jars, imported from several sites in what is today Israel and Palestine, and some of them contained wine residues.

Knowing my predilection for photo essays, Penn Museum was kind enough to send along a series of photos to illustrate the tale of Herbal Wines of Ancient Egypt.

Further Information

McGovern, Patrick E., Armen Mirzolan, and Gretchen R. Hall 2009 Ancient Egyptian herbal wines. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesin press.

McGovern, Patrick E. 2003. Wine of the Earliest Pharaohs, pp. 85-106 in Ancient Wine: The Search for the Origins of Viniculture. Princeton University Press.

• Herbal Wines of Ancient Egypt, a Photo Essay
• Guide to Predynastic Egyptian
• The About.com Guide to the Origins of Wine
• Patrick McGovern's The Origins of Wine