Changes in Wine Consumption in Palestine, c. 600–1100 CE The Ceramic Evidence

• Published in: עתיקות Vol. 114; pp. 137 - 178
• Main Author: Taxel, Itamar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Israel Antiquities Authority 01.01.2024
• ISSN: 0792-8424

This study provides an updated picture of the seventh- to eleventh-century CE production and distribution of local and imported wine jars and amphorae across Palestine, which—together with selected data on pottery production sites and winepresses—reflect changes in habits of wine consumption by the country’s population. Beginning in the seventh century CE, a gradual decline occurred in the manufacturing of Gaza jars, simultaneously with an increasing use of southern coast bag-shaped jars. Wine import to Palestine also declined from the seventh century CE on. From the eighth century CE onward, Palestinian wine, whose production gradually diminished, was designated predominantly for local consumption and marketed in regional bag-shaped jars. Finally, this study shows that the sixth-century CE decline of the settlement system and viticulture apparent in the Negev Highlands did not uniformly affect the southern coastal plain, which reflects a nuanced picture of continuous yet gradually declining activity of wine production and marketing until the end of the Byzantine period and sometimes later.