For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the LORD: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.
Jeremiah 21:10
"Archaeologists from Tel Aviv University, have analyzed residues from ceramic storage jars unearthed in the Babylonian destruction layer (586 BC) in Jerusalem... “During the 7th century BC, Jerusalem enjoyed unprecedented prosperity,
as it grew in size, population and wealth,” said lead author Ayala
Amir. “The excavation of ceramic storage jars in the debris of the Babylonian
(Nebuchadnezzar’s) destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC presented us with
an opportunity to examine the content of the vessels using residue
analysis.”
The first assemblage was from the Giv’ati Parking Lot excavations on the southwestern slope of the Temple Mount.
The storage vessels retrieved from a room belonging to a large public
building that was destroyed during the Babylonian devastation of
Jerusalem in 586 BC.
The second assemblage came from a public structure located on the
eastern slope of the City of David ridge, to the south of the Temple
Mount and above the Gihon Spring.
According to the team, all six jars examined from the first site and
at least two jars from the second contained wine. In addition to
wine-markers, one of the vessels contained biomarkers of olive oil.
The most surprising results were the profiles obtained from the two
jars from the second site and three jars from the first, indicating the
presence of vanillin.
“Apparently the jars were used for the storage of olive oil and wine —
the two typical products of the kingdom under Assyrian domination, and
were sealed to avoid oxidation of their contents,” the authors said.
“Residues of vanilla attest to the great prestige of the wine and to the drinking habits of the elite residents of Jerusalem.”
“Vanilla had to be imported from the tropic environments of India or east Africa,” they said.
“Control over the spice trade routes connecting east and west has
often been seen as a prime motivator for the Assyrian expansion to the
southwest.”
“The identification of vanilla as one such exotic and prestigious
product having been brought over by the desert caravans highlights the
economic value of this trade.”
“We demonstrate that vanilla used as a wine additive by the kings of Judah and their entourage.”
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