TROY, TURKEY—For the first time, scientists have found definitive proof that wine was drunk at the ancient city of Troy, according to a statement released by the University of Tübingen. This verifies the conjecture of Heinrich Schliemann, who discovered the site in the nineteenth century. The university’s collection holds a narrow two-handled drinking vessel known as a depas goblet and two other ceramic fragments uncovered during Schliemann’s excavations at Troy. New chemical analysis of these objects revealed trace amounts of succinic and pyruvic acids that only occur when grape juice ferments. “So, now we can state with confidence that wine was actually drunk from the depas goblets and not just grape juice,” said Maxime Rageot of the University of Bonn. These types of vessels are often found in temples and palace complexes, suggesting that the elites and upper classes passed around wine vessels on special occasions. However, the team also analyzed ordinary ceramic cups found in the outer settlement of Troy, far from the citadel, and also found traces of wine in those vessels, indicating that people of lower classes also had access to the beverage. To read about an archaeologist's efforts to estimate how much wine guests would imbibe at ancient Greek drinking parties, go to "Alcohol Through the Ages: Socializing at the Symposium."
