Disentangling the origins of viticulture in the western Mediterranean
Abstract We present direct evidence of early grape domestication in southern Italy via a multidisciplinary study of pip assemblage from one site, shedding new light on the spread of viticulture in the western Mediterranean during the Bronze Age. This consist of 55 waterlogged pips from Grotta di Per...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-44445-4 |
| _version_ | 1797453376241270784 |
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| author | Francesco Breglia Laurent Bouby Nathan Wales Sarah Ivorra Girolamo Fiorentino |
| author_facet | Francesco Breglia Laurent Bouby Nathan Wales Sarah Ivorra Girolamo Fiorentino |
| author_sort | Francesco Breglia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract We present direct evidence of early grape domestication in southern Italy via a multidisciplinary study of pip assemblage from one site, shedding new light on the spread of viticulture in the western Mediterranean during the Bronze Age. This consist of 55 waterlogged pips from Grotta di Pertosa, a Middle Bronze Age settlement in the south of the Italian peninsula. Direct radiocarbon dating of pips was carried out, confirming the chronological consistency of the samples with their archaeological contexts (ca. 1450–1200 BCE). The extraordinary state of conservation of the sample allowed to perform geometric morphometric (GMM) and paleogenetic analyses (aDNA) at the same time. The combination of the two methods has irrefutably shown the presence of domestic grapevines, together with wild ones, in Southern Italy during the Middle/Late Bronze Age. The results converge towards an oriental origin of the domestic grapes, most likely arriving from the Aegean area through the Mycenaeans. A parent/offspring kinship was also recognised between a domestic/wild hybrid individual and a domestic clonal group. This data point out a little known aspect of the diffusion of the first viticulture in Italy, and therefore in the western Mediterranean, which involved the hybridization between imported domestic varieties with, likely local, wild vines. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:21:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e742ae4d99c04dfc8cf9a55687edb587 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:21:55Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-e742ae4d99c04dfc8cf9a55687edb5872023-11-26T12:47:40ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-10-0113111310.1038/s41598-023-44445-4Disentangling the origins of viticulture in the western MediterraneanFrancesco Breglia0Laurent Bouby1Nathan Wales2Sarah Ivorra3Girolamo Fiorentino4Department of Geosciences, University of PaduaInstitut des Sciences de l’Evolution, University of MontpellierDepartment of Archaeology, University of YorkInstitut des Sciences de l’Evolution, University of MontpellierLaboratory of Archaeobotany and Palaeoecology, Cultural Heritage Department, University of SalentoAbstract We present direct evidence of early grape domestication in southern Italy via a multidisciplinary study of pip assemblage from one site, shedding new light on the spread of viticulture in the western Mediterranean during the Bronze Age. This consist of 55 waterlogged pips from Grotta di Pertosa, a Middle Bronze Age settlement in the south of the Italian peninsula. Direct radiocarbon dating of pips was carried out, confirming the chronological consistency of the samples with their archaeological contexts (ca. 1450–1200 BCE). The extraordinary state of conservation of the sample allowed to perform geometric morphometric (GMM) and paleogenetic analyses (aDNA) at the same time. The combination of the two methods has irrefutably shown the presence of domestic grapevines, together with wild ones, in Southern Italy during the Middle/Late Bronze Age. The results converge towards an oriental origin of the domestic grapes, most likely arriving from the Aegean area through the Mycenaeans. A parent/offspring kinship was also recognised between a domestic/wild hybrid individual and a domestic clonal group. This data point out a little known aspect of the diffusion of the first viticulture in Italy, and therefore in the western Mediterranean, which involved the hybridization between imported domestic varieties with, likely local, wild vines.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-44445-4 |
| spellingShingle | Francesco Breglia Laurent Bouby Nathan Wales Sarah Ivorra Girolamo Fiorentino Disentangling the origins of viticulture in the western Mediterranean Scientific Reports |
| title | Disentangling the origins of viticulture in the western Mediterranean |
| title_full | Disentangling the origins of viticulture in the western Mediterranean |
| title_fullStr | Disentangling the origins of viticulture in the western Mediterranean |
| title_full_unstemmed | Disentangling the origins of viticulture in the western Mediterranean |
| title_short | Disentangling the origins of viticulture in the western Mediterranean |
| title_sort | disentangling the origins of viticulture in the western mediterranean |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-44445-4 |
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