At the Neolithic sites of Gadachrili Gora and Shulaveris Gora in the South Caucasus country of Georgia, archaeologists found large clay jars from about 6000 to 5800 BC, with residues of tartaric acid and other compounds from grapes, evidence published in 2017 of the oldest known wine production, some 600 to 1,000 years earlier than previously thought. The jars, ancestors of the qvevri used in Georgia today, were probably buried in the ground for fermentation. The finds suggest that winemaking began with the first farmers of the region, from where the practice spread to Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome. Georgia's traditional method is on UNESCO's heritage list.
Before and after
- c. 6,300 BCEEruption of Aniakchak
- c. 6,050 BCEEruption of Menengai
- from 7th millennium BCE to 2nd millennium BCEUgarit
- 7th millennium BCEDiscovery of gold
- 61st century BCEThe earliest known wine is made in Georgia
- c. 5,900 BCEEruption of Crater Lake
- c. 5,700 BCEEruption of Khangar
- c. 5,680 BCEEruption of Crater Lake
- from c. 5,600s BCE to 4,900s BCELinear Pottery culture
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- from about 12,000 years ago to 7th millennium BCEConstruction of Göbekli Tepe
- from 10th millennium BCE to 3rd millennium BCENeolithic revolution
- from 76th century BCE to 25th century BCEChalcolithic
- from c. 7,500 BCE to 5,700 BCEConstruction of Çatalhöyük
- from c. 7,101 BCE to 5,701 BCECatalhoyuk grows into a large Neolithic town
- from c. 3,300 BCE to 1,100 BCEMinoan civilization
The era
This moment belongs to the Human prehistory (300,000 years ago to 3,200 BCE), the human story before writing.