Wine’s detractors will often claim the beverage is for elitist snobs, but we know that’s not true. And what’s more, the people of ancient Troy knew it too.
A new archaeological study has found physical and chemical evidence that proves wine was not just enjoyed by the elites of ancient Troy, but also by the common people. A cohort of scientists from the universities of Tübingen, Bonn and Jena in Germany conducted biochemical analyses on drinking vessels and proved that wine was a common drink across the many classes of Trojan society.
Bronze Age Riedel
The research, published in the American Journal of Archaeology, is based on analyses of drinking vessels from the early Bronze Age (approximately 2000 to 3000 BCE), thin two-handed cup-like structures known as depas goblets that would have been used by upper-class members of society. Within the vessels were found high concentrations of fruit acids indicative of regular use specifically for wine, proving the upper classes of Troy used these goblets for the regular consumption of wine.
[article-img-container][src=2025-04/un_trojan_wine_goblet_041825_1600.jpg] [caption= Archaeologists conducted chemical analyses of goblets uncovered at ancient Troy to determine what residents drank.] [credit= (Courtesy of University of Tübingen) ] [alt= A goblet uncovered in ancient Troy.][end: article-img-container]
“We are focusing on [compounds] such as tartaric, malic, succinic, fumaric and pyruvic acids, which may have been trapped in pottery due to the chemical bonds created with the clay,” Dr. Maxime Rageot, professor of biomolecular archaeology at the University of Bonn, told Wine Spectator. “It is the quantification of these acids that allows us to deduce that we have a product produced from ripe grapes. Wine is therefore the preferred hypothesis in Eastern Mediterranean contexts. The shape of the containers associated with beverages confirms the wine consumption.”
Dr. Stephan Blum, from the Institute of Prehistory, Early History and Medieval Archaeology at the University of Tübingen, noted that specific acids are strong indicators of wine. “Tartaric acid was detected in all vessels in notably high concentrations; this can be interpreted as a marker for grapes, as such levels are not documented in other fruits available in the Mediterranean. The identification of succinic and pyruvic acids—compounds commonly associated with fermentation—further suggests the presence of wine.”
Wine Was for All Trojans
But it wasn’t just the depas goblets that were analysed. More humble clay cups and drinking vessels were also scoped for fruit acid residue, and the findings surprised the team. The same residue was found in the cups used by the poorest of Bronze Age Trojan society, not just those who would drink out of depas goblets but those who would sip wine from simple clay cups as well.
“Until now, it has been assumed that wine was an exclusive and costly commodity, consumed only on special occasions—such as gatherings of the elite or religious ceremonies—and that specific vessels, notably the double-handled goblets, were used for this purpose,” said Blum. “The recent evidence indicating that wine was also consumed from ordinary cups—of the type found in large numbers at Troy—clearly challenges this theory and suggests that wine consumption may have been more widespread and less restricted than previously thought.”
So wine was not just for the elite but for the tradesmen, farmers, soldiers and working-class members of the Trojan population, according to Blum and Rageot’s research. Their findings from the chemical analyses of the inside of clay vessels, both opulent goblets and humble drinking cups, shines a new light on Trojan society and their relationship with vino. (No word on if it played any role in falling for that big horse.)
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