JERUSALEM, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Israeli researchers found vanilla remnants in ancient wine jars about 2,600 years ago, Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said on Wednesday.
In a newly published study in the journal PLOS ONE, researchers from the IAA and Tel Aviv University found the remains of the exotic luxurious spice while examining the sides of 13 ceramic jars, used for wine and olive oil storage.
The ancient jars were discovered inside the storage rooms of two buildings in old Jerusalem.
Five of the jars bear rosette stamp impressions on their handles, indicating that their content was related to the Kingdom of Judah's royal economy.
The two buildings were destroyed in the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC, and the jars were discovered smashed inside the rooms.
The results attest to the wine consumption habits of the Judahite elite, preferring wine with touches of vanilla, the researchers stated.
The findings also reflect Jerusalem's involvement in the trans-regional South Arabian trade of spices and other lucrative commodities, they added.
Initially, the trade was carried out under the auspices of the Assyrian Empire, and later probably under the Egyptians and Babylonians. ■
