In the 1990s, a multi-chambered tomb was discovered at Abydos on the middle Nile River in Upper Egypt. The tomb, called U-j, has been attributed to one of the earliest of Egyptian kings, Scorpion I, from Dynasty 0. Excavated by G. Dreyer of the German Archaeological Institute, the site is attributed to the Naqada IIIa2 period, and was built about 3150 BC.
Three rooms of the tomb contained about 700 jars that were apparently imported from the Levant region, and inside the jars was discovered a residue of an early form of herbal wine. The recipes identified within the pots illuminate a long history of the Egyptian use of grape wines flavored with tree resins, herbs, and figs.
Sources and Further Information
McGovern, Patrick E., Armen Mirzolan, and Gretchen R. Hall 2009 Ancient Egyptian herbal wines. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in press.
