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What Bronze Age people ate and drank: South Caucasus pottery reveals a surprisingly diverse menu

Phys · · 799 words · By Johannes Seiler

A research team from several international universities analyzed ceramic residues from the Kura-Araxes settlement of Qaraçinar in Azerbaijan. The study identifies a diverse diet including dairy, fruit, grape-based beverages, and millet, suggesting a non-hierarchical society with widespread access to these foods.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-04-bronze-age-people-ate-drank.html

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0%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 100%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

12 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 7
schedule Pending 2
verified Verified By Reference 1
info Single Source 1
help Insufficient Evidence 1
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“The international research team includes scientists from the Universities of Bonn and Bari, along with other institutions such as the Center National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm the research team consists of the Universities of Bonn and Bari, CNRS, and the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences.
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web search NEUTRAL — CNRS. Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences. University of Amsterdam. Oklahoma State University.University of Bonn. Alikhanov Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics.
https://research.buaa.edu.cn/en/publications/search-for-new-…
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web search NEUTRAL — The latest news in physics, materials science, quantum physics, optics and photonics, superconductivity science and technology. Updated Daily.
https://phys.org/physics-news/
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web search NEUTRAL — This is what an international research team from the Universities of Bonn and Bari, along with other scientific institutions such as the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and the Aze…
https://www.uni-bonn.de/en/research-and-teaching/research-pr…
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“The findings have now been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.”
CORROBORATED
The claim is corroborated by a cross-reference and supported by general information about PNAS as a scientific journal.
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web search NEUTRAL — It is the official journal of the National Academy of Sciences, published since 1915, and publishes original research, scientific reviews, commentaries, and letters.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proceedings_of_the_National_Ac…
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web search NEUTRAL — The latest science news from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by Phys.org.PNAS is published weekly in print, and daily online in PNAS Early Edition. PNAS was established by NAS in 1914,…
https://phys.org/journals/proceedings-of-the-national-academ…
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web search NEUTRAL — PNAS is the world's most-cited multidisciplinary scientific serial. It publishes high-impact research reports, commentaries, perspectives, reviews, colloquium papers, and actions of the Academy.
https://www.jstor.org/journal/procnatiacadscie
+ 1 more evidence source
verified
“The Kura-Araxes culture is named after the two main rivers of the South Caucasus, the Kura and the Araxes, which flow into the Caspian Sea.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and other academic sources confirm the Kura-Araxes culture is named after the Kura and Araxes rivers which flow into the Caspian Sea.
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web search NEUTRAL — The Kura–Araxes culture was an archaeological culture that existed from about 4000 BC until about 2000 BC, which has traditionally been regarded as the date of its end; in some locations it may have d…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kura–Araxes_culture
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web search NEUTRAL — The Kura-Araxes culture is named after the two main rivers of the South Caucasus, the Kura and the Araxes, which flow into the Caspian Sea.
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-bronze-age-people-ate-drank.ht…
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web search NEUTRAL — The Kura-Araxes culture, named after the two main rivers of the Southern Caucasus, spread from the second half of the 4 th millennium over a vast area covering the Southern Caucasus, Eastern Anatolia …
https://www.academia.edu/40079398/Explaining_the_Kura_Araxes
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“This prehistoric cultural tradition emerged in the South Caucasus around the mid-4th millennium BCE and expanded to become the most widespread cultural phenomenon in Southwest Asia by the early to mid-3rd millennium BCE.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including Wikipedia and academic PDFs, confirm the culture emerged in the South Caucasus around the mid-4th millennium BCE and expanded across Southwest Asia.
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web search NEUTRAL — The Kura–Araxes culture was an archaeological culture that existed from about 4000 BC until about 2000 BC, which has traditionally been regarded as the date of its end; in some locations it may have d…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kura–Araxes_culture
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web search NEUTRAL — The Kura-Araxes culture is named after the two main rivers of the South Caucasus, the Kura and the Araxes, which flow into the Caspian Sea. This prehistoric cultural tradition emerged in the South Cau…
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-bronze-age-people-ate-drank.ht…
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web search NEUTRAL — The Kura-Araxes is a cultural tradition originating in the South Caucasus contemporary with the Uruk and Early Dynastic I in Mesopotamia (3500-2500 BCE). It is most noteworthy because out migration of…
https://www.academia.edu/40079398/Explaining_the_Kura_Araxes
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“By combining technological, morphological, use-wear, and biomolecular analyses of 52 ceramic vessels from the Kura-Araxes settlement of Qaraçinar (Azerbaijan), dated to ca. 2800–2600 BCE”
CORROBORATED
Three independent web search results specifically mention the analysis of 52 ceramic vessels from Qaraçinar dated to 2800–2600 BCE.
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web search NEUTRAL — A new study1 of 52 ceramic vessels from Qaraçinar, a Kura-Araxes settlement in Azerbaijan dated to roughly 2800–2600 BCE, now offers something close to an answer.
https://www.anthropology.net/p/grape-dairy-and-millet-what-b…
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web search NEUTRAL — The study is based on the analysis of 52 ceramic vessels from the very site of Qaraçinar, located on the slopes of the Lesser Caucasus and dated between 2800 and 2600 BCE.
https://www.finestresullarte.info/en/archaeology/what-was-ea…
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web search NEUTRAL — Bottom: Red-black and black-polished vessels from Qaraçinar, Azerbaijan.“By combining technological, morphological, use-wear, and biomolecular analyses of 52 ceramic vessels from the Kura-Araxes settl…
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1125090
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“Qaraçinar, located on the eastern piedmont of the Lesser Caucasus, was excavated between 2019 and 2024 in collaboration with Muzaffar Huseynov and Bakhtiyar Jalilov from the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences.”
CORROBORATED
The location of Qaraçinar on the eastern piedmont of the Lesser Caucasus and the excavation details (2019-2024) are confirmed by Wikipedia and other reports.
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web search NEUTRAL — The Archaeological site of Qarachinar is a prehistoric settlement located in the basin of the Qarachay River along the eastern piedmont of the Lesser Caucasus in western Azerbaijan.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeological_site_of_Qarachi…
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web search NEUTRAL — Qaraçinar yaşayış yeri — Azərbaycan Respublikasının Goranboy rayonu ərazisində, Kiçik Qafqazın şərq ətəklərində yerləşən arxeoloji abidədir.
https://az.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qaraçinar_yaşayış_yeri
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web search NEUTRAL — Qaraçinar, located on the eastern piedmont of the Lesser Caucasus, was excavated between 2019 and 2024 in collaboration with Muzaffar Huseynov and Bakhtiyar Jalilov from the Institute of Archaeology a…
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-bronze-age-people-ate-drank.ht…
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“Exceptionally well-preserved organic residues in pottery provide robust biomolecular evidence for the preparation and consumption of fruit and grape products, plant oils and waxes, conifer resins, dairy products, and other ruminant fats.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the biomolecular evidence for dairy, fruit, grape-based beverages, plant oils, and ruminant fats in the pottery.
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web search NEUTRAL — Analysis of Bronze Age Kura-Araxes pottery from the South Caucasus reveals a diverse cuisine featuring dairy products, fruit and grape-based beverages, plant oils, and ruminant fats, with evidence of …
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-bronze-age-people-ate-drank.ht…
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web search NEUTRAL — Analyses also indicate consumption of grape-based beverages, likely wine, sometimes flavored with resins. Unlike in coeval Mesopotamian contexts, this type of consumption does not appear to be reserve…
https://www.finestresullarte.info/en/archaeology/what-was-ea…
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web search NEUTRAL — Chemical analyses of the organic residues entrapped in the ceramic´s texture revealed that these communities consumed grape-derived drinks, likely including resinated wine, embedded in everyday practi…
https://www.oeaw.ac.at/en/oeai/media/news-archive/news-detai…
info
“The researchers also identified markers of thermal processing, consistent with repeated cooking activities.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of general definitions of ceramics and Yelp reviews for studios, which do not mention the specific thermal processing markers at Qaraçinar.
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web search NEUTRAL — Jan 17, 2024 · From ancient pottery to cutting-edge biomedical applications, they play a key role numerous fields and industries. In simple terms, ceramics are non-metallic, inorganic materials that a…
https://sciencenotes.org/ceramic-definition-and-examples/
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web search NEUTRAL — Ceramic material is an inorganic, metallic oxide, nitride, or carbide material. Some elements, such as carbon or silicon, may be considered ceramics. Ceramic materials are brittle, hard, strong in com…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceramic
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web search NEUTRAL — Georgie's Ceramic & Clay. "I would definitely recommend Georgie's over most PDX ceramics studios."
https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=ceramics+studio&find_l…
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“Wine may have been consumed, sometimes flavored with conifer resins.”
CORROBORATED
Although listed as 'No evidence found' in the summary, the evidence for Claim 6 actually contains the corroboration: 'Analyses also indicate consumption of grape-based beverages, likely wine, sometimes flavored with resins.'
help
“Grapes and other fruit products (fermented and non-fermented) were not only identified in drinking/serving vessels but also in numerous cooking pots as well as in some large storage jars”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No specific evidence was provided in the search results that details the distribution of these products across drinking vessels, cooking pots, and storage jars specifically.
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“The identification of millet-based food or drink in Kura-Araxes pottery at Qaraçinar suggests long-distance connections with eastern regions, as millet was cultivated in Central Asia during this period but had not previously been documented so early and so far to the west.”
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“Monochrome wares appear to have been used mainly for cooking, whereas Red-Black Burnished vessels were likely dedicated to the consumption of raw dairy products and fruit- or grape-based beverages, including wine.”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.