The Winery in Context: The Workshop Complex at Ambarçay, Diyarbakır (SE Turkey)

Abstract

The paper examines the physical and contextual situation of a series of nine rock hewn pressing installations forming a complex of a winery workshop (ca. 5 decares) which was unearthed during excavations executed at the Roman site of Ambar village. Matching the Upper Mesopotamia and fed by a fair distance permanent water source – the Ambarçay Stream in close proximity, the site lies over limestone bedrock convenient for processing in a hard ground, right nearby a moderate size quarry besides two spring spouts. The site’s scale and function is cross-questioned through the instrumentality of original data and interrelatedness of a couple of archaeo-environmental features as well as through a selection of comparative evidence and proxy figures addressed in the ancient and historical accounts. Appearingly; topography, surrounding agricultural land and hydrology were three driving agents of the positioning and planning of the complex which looks spacious for household usage but rather demonstrates itself as an atelier of inhabitants (belike run at the institutional level) that expanded into post 3rd century. When also confined to the economic convergence of the value of wine recorded in the ancient and pre-modern sources, total relative capacity of one-time pressing operation generates an idea over figures that could suffice to more than a latifundium or a resident population.

Keywords

• mesopotamia
• wine
• pressing
• tigris
• ancient agriculture
• economy and trade