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November 11, 2005

Guest speaker Dr. Patrick McGovern
"Wine and the Vine: The Archaeological and Chemical Hunt for the Origins of Viniculture"
Spurlock Museum Knight Auditorium
Friday, December 2, 2005
7:30 pm

Wine is a river that flows through much of human history. It has served as a mark of sophistication, a means of celebration, and a symbol of divine blood. Join the Spurlock Museum in welcoming Dr. Patrick McGovern to the campus for the annual Dr. Allan C. Campbell Family Distinguished Lecture Series. To Dr. McGovern, wine is the subject of fascinating and intensive study. A Senior Research Scientist in the Museum Applied Science Center for Archaeology (MASCA) of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, McGovern has been a pioneer in the emerging field of Molecular Archaeology. His work has focused on analyzing the organic contents of ancient vessels to learn more about the origins of wine and beer, as well as dyes such as Royal Purple. His most recent research has involved reconstructing the “King Midas funerary feast” and chemically confirming the earliest fermented beverage from anywhere in the world—7000 BCE, in Neolithic China.

 

Patrick McGovern. Photo courtesy of the University of
Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.
 

An analysis of fragments from Neolithic jars similar to these from Jiahu, China, resulted in the discovery of the world's oldest known fermented beverage. Photograph courtesy of Juzhong Zhang and Zhiqing Zhang, Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, China.
 
Join the Spurlock Museum in welcoming Dr. McGovern to the University of Illinois by attending his talk "Wine and the Vine: The Archaeological and Chemical Hunt for the Origins of Viniculture" on Friday, December 2nd, at 7:30 PM. The talk is the third offering in the annual Dr. Allan C. Campbell Family Distinguished Lecture Series that has brought underwater archaeologist George Bass and British Museum Senior Curator Ian Jenkins to the Knight Auditorium stage. Admission to Dr. McGovern's talk is free and the public is welcome. Past speakers presented in this annual series are noted underwater archaeologist Dr. George Bass and British Museum Senior Curator Dr. Ian Jenkins. After his talk, Dr. McGovern will sign copies of his book Ancient Wine: The Search for the Origins of Viniculture.
 

For further information on Dr. McGovern and his work, please visit the MASCA link: http://www.museum.upenn.edu/new/research/Exp_Rese_Disc/masca/ index.shtml.
 

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