In the days of the biblical kings, wine flavored with vanilla was a hit. According to a recent study by the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University, the kings of biblical Judah infused their wine with this luxury spice. The study demonstrates Judah’s wealth and power right before the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E.
As vanilla was not grown in the Levant or ancient Near East, it may have arrived from India or tropical Africa, likely via the trade routes that passed through the Negev, Arabia, and beyond. Finding traces of vanilla in Iron Age Jerusalem is a remarkable discovery, but it is not the first time that such exotic spices have been found in the lands of the Bible. Vanilla was also identified in burials from the Canaanite city of Megiddo and cinnamon at the Phoenician site of Tel Dor. Researchers now believe that vanilla may have been grown and traded in Africa or Asia millennia before its discovery in the New World, long thought to be the world’s original source of vanilla.
The evidence of vanilla-infused wine was discovered in two separate excavations within the City of David. In both cases, excavators had uncovered large wine jars within buildings destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E. The team conducted chemical tests on eight of the jars. The tests identified the molecular remnants of various liquids and ingredients that had been preserved on the interiors of the vessels. As expected, they confirmed that the jars had been used to store wine. Surprisingly, the tests also showed that the wine had been infused with vanilla—and that several jars had been reused multiple times to store wine or other liquids, such as olive oil. These findings indicate the complexity of ancient Judah’s economy and the biblical kings’ sophisticated system for the collection and redistribution of goods.
In the days of the biblical kings, wine flavored with vanilla was a hit. According to a recent study by the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University, the kings of biblical Judah infused their wine with this luxury spice. The study demonstrates Judah’s wealth and power right before the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. As vanilla was not grown in the Levant or ancient Near East, it may have arrived from India or tropical Africa, likely via the trade routes that passed through the Negev, Arabia, and beyond. Finding traces of vanilla in Iron Age Jerusalem […]
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