28 avril 2017
Nicolas B. Garnier et al., « Looking for ancient wine as gift for the Prince of Lavau (5th c. BC) », HAL-SHS : archéologie, ID : 10670/1.5fj8r3
The excavations at Lavau brought to light a large monumental necropolis with a central burial mound overlying an undisturbed chieftain’s grave from the end of the Early Iron Age or the beginning of the Late Iron Age. In the funerary chamber rich grave furniture accompanied the dead: a bronze cauldron containing serving and drinking vessels of ceramic, silver, and bronze, two bronze plates, and a cist. As there were visible deposits present on the inner surface of the cauldron, a series of samples were taken from different parts of the cauldron and the locally made oenochoe. Using a double-step methodology of extraction and structural analysis by GC-MS, the main biomarkers were identified. The highly sensitive and selective method and its efficiency for dissolving particularly insoluble markers from fruit, allowed the identification of coniferous pitch, fermented dark grape juice (red wine), and beeswax present as a yellowish block that could correspond to a honeycomb added to the wine for sweetening. For the first time, the interdisciplinary research of archaeologists and chemists highlights the content of rich metallic vessels used for a funerary banquet.