2,000-year-old grapevines in Ethiopia may preserve an ancient farming legacy

A lost chapter in the history of Ethiopia agriculture Picture yourself wandering through a tranquil village in the northern Ethiopian highlands, a gnarled grapevine sheltering from the afternoon sun over a stone courtyard. It is a familiar part of daily life for local families, a source of sweet fruit, a place to gather, and a plant passed down through generations. But what if that humble vine is a lot more than a family heirloom? What if it is a living survivor of one of Africa’s greatest ancient civilisations?But a new interdisciplinary study suggests that this extraordinary possibility is real. According to a report by Phys Org, scientists studying traditional grapevines in Ethiopia’s Tigray region have discovered evidence that some of the surviving vines could be descendants of the Aksumite Kingdom, a powerful civilization that thrived between 150 BCE and 800 CE. Aksum was a bustling centre of trade, culture and innovation, connected to busy Red Sea trade routes linking Africa with the Mediterranean and Near East. Now, nearly 2,000 years later, its agricultural legacy may linger still in the vines that quietly grow beside homes and churches.A lost chapter in the history of Ethi...