The yellowish linear stain on the inside of this jar from the Scorpion King's tomb is an ancient residue of organic materials, left over when the wine itself evaporated away. The residue collected at the top of the wine, and its tilted horizon results from the wine jar being tilted in the tomb rooms.
Chemical analysis of the residue was conducted using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry analysis, a technique developed at the University of Barcelona and exercised at the Scientific Services Division of the Tax and Trade Bureau. The analysis identified the wine's components as a mixture of balm, coriander, mint and sage, to which an aromatic resin and fig was added. Most importantly, the chemical analysis identified the presence of tartaric acid/tartrate, meaning the wine was also made up of grapes.
Sources and 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.
