Ancient Wine: The Search for the Origins of Viniculture
by Patrick E. McGovern (Princeton University Press, 2003/2006)
This book is the first comprehensive and up-to-date account of the earliest stages of vinicultural history and prehistory, which extends back into the Neolithic period and beyond. Elegantly written and richly illustrated, Ancient Wine opens up whole new chapters in the fascinating story of wine and the vine by drawing upon recent archaeological discoveries, molecular and DNA sleuthing, and the texts and art of long-forgotten peoples.

Italian translation: L’archeologo e l’uva.  Rome: Carocci, 2004.

L’archeologo e l’uva.  Rome: Carocci, 2004.  Italian translation of Ancient Wine: The Search for the Origins of Viniculture.  Princeton: Princeton University, 2003/2006.

Awards:

Grand-prix in Histoire, Littérature et Beaux-arts, Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin (OIV)

Research Prize, International Association of History and Civilization of Vine and Wine

Award for Best Professional/Scholarly Book in Geology and Earth Science, Association of American Publishers

Reviews:

Princeton University, 2003

Sept. 25, 2003: Philadelphia Inquirer, by Deborah Scoblionkov

Nov. 2003: History Today

Nov. 2003: Natural History, by Laurence A. Marschall

Nov. 22, 2003: Financial Times, by Jancis Robinson

Nov. 30, 2003: Boston Herald

Dec. 2003: historytoday.com

Dec. 2003: Wine and Spirits, by Tara Q. Thomas

Dec. 4, 2003: Toronto Star, by Gordon Stimmell

Dec. 8, 2003: New Statesman, by Roger Scruton

Dec. 14, 2003: Trenton Times

Dec. 15, 2003: Wine Enthusiast 1614: 53, by  K. Berman.

Dec. 28, 2003: Wisconsin State Journal, by Chris Martell

Jan. 2004: BBC History Magazine, by David Keyes

Feb. 2004: BookLoons website (http//www.bookloons.com/cgi-bin/Review.asp?bookid=2666), by Hilary Williamson

March/April 2004: Archaeology 57.2: 56-57, by Spencer Harrington

May/June 2004: American Scientist

Oct. 2004: Wayward Tendrils Quarterly 14.4: 16-17, by Allan Shields.

Economic Botany 53 (2004): 487-88, by M. Patrick Griffith.

Winter, 2005: The Tropical Garden 60.1: 24, by Jeremy Davit.

Cornell Arts & Sciences Newsletter. A remarkable new book. (Adam Gopnik New Yorker)No one is better qualified to sift through the widely scattered clues [to the origins of winemaking] than McGovern, a skilled scientific sleuth who wields the most powerful tools of modern chemistry in his search for the roots of ancient wines. (J. Madeleine Nash Time Magazine )

A rich treasury of lore on viticulture. . . . McGovern’s book will likely remain a standard in every serious wine-lover’s library for a long time. To that achievement–and to glorious wine itself–let us raise our glasses high. (Laurence A. Marschall Natural History )

It takes nerve to tackle a subject as wide-ranging in chronology, geography and historical variability as the study of ancient viniculture, and it takes rhetorical flourish to make such a study riveting, informative and thought-provoking. Patrick McGovern has succeeded in doing just that. His Ancient Wine is a book to be highly recommended to lay and professional audiences alike. (James C. Wright American Scientist )

It’s obvious that McGovern has a passion for his research, and that his deep appreciation for wine is enhanced by his understanding of wine’s role in civilization. Wine lovers who also enjoy delving into wine’s rich history will find much to savor in this complex but intriguing book. (Deborah Scoblionkov Philadelphia Inquirer )

The most fascinating scholarly wine book this year. . . . This is a tapestry woven from surviving cultural fragments and combines art, archeology, chemistry and gastronomy. It tracks the thread of wine through 8,000 years of human history and is not for the faint-hearted. (Toronto Star )

This is a prodigiously learned book by a prodigiously learned man. . . . McGovern uses wine as a vehicle for exploring the reaches of ancient history, and for presenting some of the astonishing archeological discoveries that are still being made. . . . By the time we get to Persia, Greece and Rome it has become truly urgent, because it is now a story of civilizations and their clashes–the story in which we are still involved. (Roger Scruton New Statesman )

This book is clearly written, generously illustrated, and thoroughly indexed. (Harvey Finkel New England Wine Gazette )

Princeton University Press has published the definitive book on grape and wine history. Ancient Wine by Patrick E. McGovern is history writing at its best. Thoroughly engaging, this is beautifully illustrated with photos of historical artifacts. (Connie Krochmal BellaOnline )

[W]ine lovers who want to discover more of the origins of their favourite drop will find Ancient Wine of great value and interest. (Louise Johnson Heritage Key )

Mr. McGovern is an exceptional scholar who employs a lively narrative and the latest techniques in scientific archaeology and historiography to help the contemporary reader peer into the most remote corners of early man’s agricultural and ritual past. What we learn there is simply riveting. And while the book was first published in 2003, it remains a brilliant and at times prescient work which no civilised amateur of fine wines or modern wine cultures should be without. (Joseph Romero Culturekiosque )

Excellent maps and illustrations, many in full color, enrich the presentation. . . . The price of the new paperbound edition is reasonable, even astonishing given the color plates, and should make it so much the easier for those interested in ancient history, in wine, or in both to acquire and savor it. (Victor Castellani European Legacy)

Review

I raise my glass to Patrick McGovern, who mixes authoritative knowledge of ancient viniculture with inspired writing into a heady drink for the mind. This is a beautifully written book, full of insight into the origins, culture, and economy of wine.
(Roald Hoffmann, Cornell University, 1981 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry ) –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

“I raise my glass to Patrick McGovern, who mixes authoritative knowledge of ancient viniculture with inspired writing into a heady drink for the mind. This is a beautifully written book, full of insight into the origins, culture, and economy of wine.”–Roald Hoffmann, Cornell University, 1981 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry

“Patrick McGovern serves us a magnificent feast of science and history that melds sophisticated chemistry with good, old-fashioned historical sleuthing. His innovative research has revolutionized our knowledge of the origins of one of humanity’s greatest pleasures. This is an archaeological and gustatory delight for specialist and general reader alike.”–Brian Fagan, University of California, Santa Barbara, author of The Little Ice Age

“Ancient Wine tells a dramatic, factual story of wine’s beginnings at the dawn of civilization 8,000 years ago, bringing to life what I have long believed-wine has been an essential part of the gracious way of life for many cultures. Patrick McGovern takes us on a fascinating journey back to the first experiments in making this marvelous beverage. He shows the central role of wine in human history, with insights drawn from archeology, chemistry, gastronomy, and the arts. Ancient Wine will please everyone who enjoys wine. I heartily recommend it.”–Robert Mondavi, winemaker

“What a great book! Patrick McGovern takes us along for the ride as he searches for the origins of modern wine. This is a very personal, engagingly written story, and we’re privileged to watch over McGovern’s shoulder as he unravels the mysteries of ancient vines and wines.”–Rod Phillips, author of A Short History of Wine

“Told with enthusiasm and verve, Ancient Wine is an illuminating discussion of an important area of research. It represents a substantial contribution to our understanding of the nature of consumption in early urban societies, and draws together investigations of some of the outstanding pieces of evidence that are of prime relevance to the story.”–Andrew Sherratt, author of Economy and Society in Prehistoric Europe

–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

“I raise my glass to Patrick McGovern, who mixes authoritative knowledge of ancient viniculture with inspired writing into a heady drink for the mind. This is a beautifully written book, full of insight into the origins, culture, and economy of wine.”–Roald Hoffmann, Cornell University, 1981 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry

“Patrick McGovern serves us a magnificent feast of science and history that melds sophisticated chemistry with good, old-fashioned historical sleuthing. His innovative research has revolutionized our knowledge of the origins of one of humanity’s greatest pleasures. This is an archaeological and gustatory delight for specialist and general reader alike.”–Brian Fagan, University of California, Santa Barbara, author of The Little Ice Age

“Ancient Wine tells a dramatic, factual story of wine’s beginnings at the dawn of civilization 8,000 years ago, bringing to life what I have long believed-wine has been an essential part of the gracious way of life for many cultures. Patrick McGovern takes us on a fascinating journey back to the first experiments in making this marvelous beverage. He shows the central role of wine in human history, with insights drawn from archeology, chemistry, gastronomy, and the arts. Ancient Wine will please everyone who enjoys wine. I heartily recommend it.”–Robert Mondavi, winemaker

“What a great book! Patrick McGovern takes us along for the ride as he searches for the origins of modern wine. This is a very personal, engagingly written story, and we’re privileged to watch over McGovern’s shoulder as he unravels the mysteries of ancient vines and wines.”–Rod Phillips, author of A Short History of Wine

“Told with enthusiasm and verve, Ancient Wine is an illuminating discussion of an important area of research. It represents a substantial contribution to our understanding of the nature of consumption in early urban societies, and draws together investigations of some of the outstanding pieces of evidence that are of prime relevance to the story.”–Andrew Sherratt, author of Economy and Society in Prehistoric Europe

Naissance de la vigne et du vin (Paris: Libre & Solidaire, 2015)

Reviews:

March, 2016: Sciences et Avenir: Review of Naissance de la vigne et du vin, by Rachel Mulot.

March-May, 2016: Vigneron: Review of Naissance de la vigne et du vin.

March-May, 2016: LeRouge&leBlanc: Review of Naissance de la vigne et du vin, by J.-M G.

April, 2016: Reussir Vigne: Review of Naissance de la vigne et du vin, by Mathilde Leclercq.

May, 2016: La revue du vin de France: Review of Naissance de la vigne et du vin, by Michael Dovaz.

Intoxicating: The Science of Alcohol

“Alcohol: An Astonishing Molecule,” by Patrick E. McGovern Scientific American Classics, March 2015

Uncorking the Past: The Quest for Wine, Beer, and Other Alcoholic Beverages
by Patrick E. McGovern (University of California Press, 2009)
In a lively tour around the world and through the millennia, Uncorking the Past tells the compelling story of humanity’s ingenious, intoxicating quest for the perfect drink. Following a tantalizing trail of archaeological, chemical, artistic, and textual clues, Patrick McGovern, the leading authority on ancient alcoholic beverages, brings us up to date on what we now know about how humans created and enjoyed fermented beverages across cultures.

Reviews:

Alfred E. Schuyler, Bartonia No. 65 (2011): 123-25

Jim Lapsley, “History of the hard stuff,” Nature 461 (Oct. 29, 2009), pp. 1213-14

Christine Ledding, Wine & Spirits, Feb., 2010,  p. 12
Ross Fitzgerald, Sydney Morning Herald, Books, Jan. 16-17, 2010,  p. 33
Gerald D. Boyd, A Holiday Wine Book Roundup

Will Brown, Wayward Tendrils, Jan., 2010, p. 18
Brian St. Pierre, Christmas Reads, Decanter, Jan. 2010,  p. 110.

Stuart Walton, The World of Fine Wine, Spring 2011

Gastronomica: forthcoming

Awards:

Archaeological Institute of America Felicia A. Holton Honorable Mention Book Award

Korean Translation, 2016:

• 

The Foreign Relations of the “Hyksos”: A Neutron Activation Study of Middle Bronze Age Pottery from the Eastern Mediterranean

BAR International Series 888

by P. E. McGovern,  with a contribution by Tine Bagh

Oxford: Archaeopress, 2000

APPENDIX 4: AFTERWORD, PETROGRAPHIC ADDENDUM,

AND POTTERY FIGURES

by Patrick E. McGovern and Christopher Wnuk

”It is rare that a technical pottery study entails rewriting history, or, at least, archaeological hypotheses.  But according to the Neutron Activation Analysis results presented here, the very earliest contacts of the “Hyksos” at Tell el-Dab`a/Avaris were overwhelmingly with its nearest Levantine “neighbors” in Southern Palestine and not farther north, and this pattern continued throughout the MBA” (final paragraph of the book–p. 83).

This monograph explores and elucidates a period of exceptional cultural interaction, trade, the transfer of technologies (e.g., new types of fast-wheel-thrown pottery), and ethnic origins in the ancient Near East, Egypt, and the Mediterranean world: the Middle Bronze Age, ca. 1950-1550 B.C.

S. J. Bourke, Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, 326 (2002), pp. 90-94: “McGovern’s long-awaited study on the chemical composition of some 608 pottery and clay samples drawn from the Egyptian east Delta site of Tell el-Daba (the Hyksos capital of Avaris) represents a major contribution to our understanding of the nature of the Hyksos presence in the eastern Delta, and the changing patterns of trade and (perhaps) political relationships with their eastern Mediterranean neighbors over the first half of the second millennium B.C….it is McGovern’s work that has provided a wide-ranging analytical underpinning to form-based based observations and revealed much about the mercantile relations of the Hyksos capital in so doing. It is a considerable achievement.”

H.Neff, SAS  Newsletter 25 (2002), pp. 25-26:  “McGovern must be commended for overcoming all of the various hurdles and bringing this very useful volume to publication….[he] has done a highly competent job of making sense of a complex database of INAA results, and the study sheds considerable light on Middle Bronze Age interaction patterns in the eastern Mediterranean.”

The Origins and Ancient History of Wine

P. E. McGovern, S. J. Fleming and S. Katz, Eds. (New York: Gordon and Breach, 1995)

The study of the origin, development and diversity of the human diet is emerging as a coherent field that offers a much-needed integrative framework for our contemporary knowledge of the ecology of food and nutrition. This authoritative series of monographs and symposia volumes on the history and anthropology of food and nutrition is designed to address this need by providing integrative approaches to the study of various problems within the human food chain. Since the series is both methodologically and conceptually integrative, the focus of the individual volumes spans such topics as nutrition and health, culinary practices, prehistoric analyses of diet, and food scarcity and subsistence practices among various societies of the world.

Beth Shan

The Late Bronze Egyptian Garrison at Beth Shan: A Study of Levels VII and VIII

by F. W. James, as prepared posthumously, and P. E. McGovern (University of Pennsylvania Museum Monograph 85.  Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Museum, 1993)

The University Museum excavated at Beth Shan from 1921-1934, when stratigraphical methods were first being developed. For this study the two Late Bronze levels (VII and VIII) have been reevaluated by the careful analysis of field records, photographs, and drawings along with the restudy of all artifacts housed in The University Museum and a selection of objects in the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem. The structures of these levels have parallels in New Kingdom Egypt and Late Bronze/Early Iron Age sites of southern Levant and the Sinai. Included are contributions by 13 specialists on specific classes of objects and technologies.

Organic Contents of Ancient Vessels

The Organic Contents of Ancient Vessels: Materials Analysis and Archaeological Investigation

William R. Biers and Patrick E. McGovern, Eds. (MASCA Research Papers in Science and Archaeology, vol. 7.  Philadelphia: MASCA, University of Pennsylvania Museum, University of Pennsylvania, 1990)
The papers in this volume clearly demonstrate the importance of investigating organic residues to elucidate crucial aspects of ancient life such as agriculture, trade, ritual practice. Much of the information presented here could only have been derived using scientific techniques of analysis.

Ceramics

Cross-Craft and Cross-Cultural Interactions in Ceramics

P. E. McGovern and M. R. Notis, Eds. Ceramics and Civilization IV, ed. W. D. Kingery.  Westerville, OH: American Ceramic Society.  Out of print.

Baq`ah Valley (Jordan)

The Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages of Central Transjordan: The Baq`ah Valley Project, 1977-1981

by Patrick E. McGovern (University of Pennsylvania Museum Monograph 65.  Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Museum, 1986)

“McGovern turns the results of a relatively modest excavation into a monumental research report, which can in many ways serve as a model for archaeological reporting . . . deserves to be in every archaeological and anthropological library.”—Journal of the American Oriental Society

“McGovern is to be commended for the writing and editing of a near-perfect archaeological report of a group of burial caves in the Baq’ah Valley near Amman. It is comprehensive and far-ranging, thoroughly research and up-to-date, well designed and coherently written. . . . A monumental research report, which can in many ways serve as an model for archaeological reporting . . . deserves to be in every archaeological and anthropological library.”—Journal of the American Oriental Society

A critical transition period in the archaeology and history of Palestine—the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age—is described in detail from the perspective of a group of sites in the Baq’ah Valley. A major emphasis is on how scientific techniques, including magnetic location of undisturbed burial deposits and analytical reconstruction of very early industries, can be effectively integrated into an archaeological project. Contrary to traditional views, the evidence supports a relatively peaceful development within a single cultural tradition rather than the intrusion of a new people or segment of the existing population, by invasion, migration, or revolt.

Late Bronze Palestinian Pendants

Late Bronze Age Palestinian Pendants: Innovation in a Cosmopolitan Age

by Patrick E. McGovern (Journal for the Society of the Old Testament/American Schools of Oriental Research Monograph Series, no. 1, ed. E. M. Meyers.  Sheffield, Eng.: JSOT/ASOR)

Ornamental and Amuletic Pendants

Ornamental and Amuletic Jewelry Pendants of Late Bronze Age Palestine: An Archaeological Study

by Patrick E. McGovern (Ph.D. dissertation, University of Pennsylvania.  Ann Arbor: University Microfilms)