NewsBy Sophie ArundelAnalysis of thousands of plant remains shows that Bronze and Iron Age farmers in the Levant invested scarce water into vineyards, highlighting wine’s cultural and economic importance. Farmers in the Middle East thousands of years ago prioritised grapes over olives when deciding how to use limited water supplies, a new study from Department of Archaeology and Earth Sciences at Durham University has found. The samples dated from the Early Bronze Age to the Iron Age, spanning roughly 5,000 to 2,600 years ago. The results showed that, from the Middle Bronze Age onwards, irrigation was more commonly used to support vineyards than olive groves, even in drier regions. At several sites, including Tell Mozan, Qatna, Tell Tweini, Lachish and Tell Tayinat, grape remains from the Middle Bronze Age pointed to intensive watering practices.