Wine

Grape cultivation & winemaking depicted within the Tomb of Nakht (TT52), Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, Western Thebes.

Wine was a staple good in Ancient Egypt. It also played an integral part in ancient Egyptian ritual practices. Around 3000 BC, grape cultivation from the Levant led to the establishment of a rich royal winemaking industry in Egypt’s Nile Delta region.

The industry was most likely the result of trade between Egypt and Canaan in the early Bronze Age, which began at least in the 27th century BC with the Third Dynasty. Winemaking representations on tomb walls, as well as the accompanying offering lists, featured wine grown in delta vineyards.

By the end of the Old Kingdom, five unique wines, most likely made in the Delta, had formed a canonical set of afterlife supplies.