The area today associated with images of war was an area of vineyards and wineries for many centuries. the Gas sectorA, with its calcareous soil and dry climate, it was home to grape crops that fed the eastern Mediterranean. Old farms that flourished under Byzantine rule They transformed this coastal enclave into one of the major centers of wine production in the Old World.
the The current devastation caused by the conflict with Israel contrasts with that agricultural past Which supported a large part of the regional economy and whose legacy has barely survived in archaeological finds in the surrounding desert. This lost heritage prompted an international study that brought it back to history The identity of the so-called Gaza wine.
A scientific discovery restores the identity of the lost Negev wine
Researchers from the Universities of York, Tel Aviv and Copenhagen applied molecular genetic techniques to analyze… Negev grapes. The doctor Nathan WellsFrom the Department of Archeology at York University, he explained that it is the first time that genetics has been used to identify the color of an ancient grape, and that this analysis provides a new picture of the famous wine from Gaza during the Byzantine period. DNA sequencing made the distinction possible White and black strains grown in desert vineyardssomething that was not known until now.
The team examined grape seeds discovered in a Byzantine monastery in the Negev, some of which date back to the 8th century. The results indicated a A white variety that could correspond to the type used to make sweet wines exported from Gaza. Until the discovery of historical records They lacked physical evidence of this grape in the region, so the exact origin of the wine remained unresolved.
Vine cultivation was one of The most profitable activities of the Byzantine Empire. Trade routes from the Negev to Crete and Lebanon ensured a continuous flow of agricultural products, including wine, which reached Exceptional value. And from that exchange came Red varieties that are still produced today in the eastern Mediterraneanthe direct heirs of this intensive agricultural economy.
Ancient lineages offer clues to confront climate change
Genetic analysis not only solved a historical mystery. It also provided useful clues for the present, since breeds that survived the desert conditions of the Negev could serve as A model for developing varieties adapted to arid and hot climates. Scientists noted that the genetic diversity identified in these grapes could help modern vineyards resist the effects of climate change, an increasing challenge for global viticulture.
Excavations confirmed this Negev wine was distributed throughout the Byzantine Empire and reached Germany, France and Great BritainWhere the elites consumed it. Amphorae found in Mediterranean ports indicate this Gaza was a first-class logistics hub In the agricultural trade of his time. The scale of this distribution network reveals the extent to which Saharan wine production influenced the economy and wine culture of Europe.
The study was published in 2023 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesIt was also with the participation of the University of Haifa and the Israel Antiquities Authority. The research has strengthened the hypothesis that Byzantine seeds from the Negev belong to a local breed Preserved for centuries. Dating and comparative analysis confirmed that these plant remains constitute a direct source of information about desert agriculture.
The archaeological seeds showed genetic matches with current varieties grown in the Mediterranean. This continuity indicates that despite the centuries that have passed, part of the agricultural heritage of the Negev is still present in contemporary vineyards. Reconstructed from a few simple fragments, the history of Gaza’s wine shows how science can recover forgotten chapters of ancient trade while current conflicts once again alter the landscape of its birth.