A biomolecular archaeological approach to ‘Nordic grog’

P. McGovern, Gretchen R. Hall, A. Mirzoian
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引用次数: 41

Abstract

The combined archaeological, biomolecular, and archaeobotanical evidence from four sites in Denmark (Nandrup, Kostræde, and Juellinge) and Sweden (Havor on the island of Gotland) provide key reference points for reconstructing ‘Nordic grog’ from ca. 1500 BC to the first century AD. In general, Nordic peoples preferred a hybrid beverage or ‘grog,’ in which many ingredients were fermented together, including locally available honey, local fruit (e.g., bog cranberry, and lingonberry) and cereals (wheat, rye, and/or barley), and sometimes grape wine imported from farther south in Europe. Local herbs/spices, such as bog myrtle, yarrow and juniper, and birch tree resin rounded out the concoction and provide the earliest chemical attestations for their use in Nordic fermented beverages. The aggregate ingredients probably served medicinal purposes, as well as contributing special flavors and aromas. They continued to be important ingredients for many kinds of beverages throughout medieval times and up to the present. The importation of grape wine from southern or central Europe as early as ca. 1100 BC, again chemically attested here for the first time, is of considerable cultural significance. It demonstrates the social and ceremonial prestige attached to wine, especially when it was served up as ‘Nordic grog’ in special wine-sets imported from the south. It also points to an active trading network across Europe as early as the Bronze Age in which amber might have been the principle good exchanged for wine. The presence of pine resin in the beverages likely derives from the imported wine, added as a preservative for its long journey northward.
“北欧酒”的生物分子考古学方法
来自丹麦(Nandrup, koster æde和Juellinge)和瑞典(哥特兰岛上的Havor)四个地点的考古、生物分子和考古植物学证据为重建大约公元前1500年至公元1世纪的“北欧grog”提供了关键的参考点。一般来说,北欧人更喜欢混合饮料或“grog”,其中许多成分一起发酵,包括当地的蜂蜜、当地的水果(如沼泽蔓越莓和越橘)和谷物(小麦、黑麦和/或大麦),有时还有从欧洲更南部进口的葡萄酒。当地的草药/香料,如沼泽桃金娘、蓍草和杜松,以及桦树树脂,为北欧发酵饮料的使用提供了最早的化学证明。这些聚集在一起的成分可能有药用价值,也有特殊的味道和香气。从中世纪到现在,它们一直是许多饮料的重要成分。早在公元前1100年左右,从南欧或中欧进口的葡萄酒就具有相当大的文化意义,这也是第一次在这里得到化学证明。它显示了葡萄酒在社会和礼仪上的威望,尤其是当它被作为“北欧grog”装在从南方进口的特殊酒具里时。它还指出,早在青铜时代,欧洲就有一个活跃的贸易网络,在这个时代,琥珀可能是交换葡萄酒的主要商品。饮料中的松脂很可能来自进口葡萄酒,在长途北上的过程中添加了防腐剂。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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