Ancient wine with vanilla?

(Israel21c via JNS) - Researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University were surprised to discover remnants of vanilla in 2,600-year-old wine jars unearthed in the City of David National Park in Jerusalem.

The researchers were investigating two buildings destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE when they unearthed the eight jars. They date back to the reign of the biblical King Zedekiah, who ruled the kingdom of Judah when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and exiled the Jews.

Using chemical tests, the researchers identified remnants of vanilla molecules preserved in t...