From the Fort Worth Star Telegram, November 26:
The 8,000-year-old tradition took root in France around the sixth century B.C. when the southern Gauls were settled by the Greeks, later to be encapsulated in the Roman Empire.
Now, archaeologists in the French Alps have found evidence of this ancient trade along a Gallo-Roman road, according to a Nov. 22 news release from the French National Institute for Preventative Archaeological Research.
In 1865, work along a mountain slope unearthed multiple Gallo-Roman substructures, archaeologists said. From 1869 to 1870, more than 400 feet of structure was discovered, including 70 rooms, some of which had mosaic paving, according to the release.
Five new buildings, including private baths, were excavated between 1977 and 1981, researchers said, all of which dated to between the first and fifth centuries.
On the southeast end of the buildings, archaeologists have found a room separated by a terrace wall, an aqueduct and what appears to be a road ditch, according to the release.
The building was used for wine production, archaeologists said. It was identified by its location and the structures found inside.
The main room is separated into two naves and was likely more of a shed than a full structure, researchers said. Post holes where a roof could be attached were found down the center of the room.
On one side, archaeologists found a tile mortar where grapes would have been trampled, as well as two decantation tanks that allowed the crushed material to flow through a drain into workshops where the wine would be pressed, archaeologists said....
....MUCH MORE
Une production vinicole antique sur le chemin de Mérande à Arbin (Savoie)
