ABSTRACT
Evidence for commercial traffic in wine exists as early as the mid-3rd millennium B.C. in the Ebla corpus (also see chapter 9 by Powell and chapter 10 by Zettler and Miller, this volume). “Canaanite” jars or amphoras constitute the earliest material evidence for such commerce (see chapter 15 by Leonard, chapter 14 by Lesko, and chapter 9 by McGovern and Michel). These pottery containers were used to transport foodstuffs including wine, as attested by shipwrecks along the Turkish coast dating as early as 1700 B.C. (Sheytan Deresi), and are frequently shown in Egyptian reliefs and frescoes. The Canaanite jar was the precursor of later Greek amphoras, which were employed in an extensive Mediterranean wine trade (see chapter 20 by Koehler, this volume).
