VENICE, ITALY—Evidence of wine has been discovered in a vessel unearthed at Aradetis Orgora, a site in Georgia associated with the Kura-Araxes culture, by a team of archaeologists from Ca’Foscari University in Venice and the Georgian National Museum in Tbilisi. The Mirror reports that the animal-shaped vessel, which dates to around 3000 B.C., is missing its head, but still has three small feet and a hole on its back. It was unearthed near a similar vessel and a jar on the burned floor of a building thought to have been used for cultic activities. Palynologist Eliso Kvavadze found well-preserved pollen grains of Vitis vinifera, or common grape vine, in the vessel. The team suggests that the wine was poured out as offerings to the gods or as memorials for the dead. To read about another find from Georgia, go to "Homo erectus Stands Alone."
