Local domestication or diffusion? Insights into viticulture in Greece from Neolithic to Archaic times, using geometric morphometric analyses of archaeological grape seeds

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is one of the emblematic crops of Greece. Despite evidence of early wine making in the Aegean since the Late Neolithic (ca 4500–4000 BC), the hypothesis of a local domestication of the grapevine in this area hasn't be thoroughly investigated. In order to date the first appearance of the domesticated grapevine and to explore the past cultivated diversity in the Aegean, morphometric analyses were performed on a large data set of 2223 archaeological grape pips from 11 sites located in various areas of Greece and dated to the Late Neolithic, Bronze Age and Archaic period (6th millennium BC - 7th century BC). All the grape pips from the Late Neolithic are morphologically wild. The shift from wild to domesticated shape occurred during the Middle Bronze Age (1900–1700 BC). From the Late Bronze Age (1500–1100 BC) onwards, domesticated types dominate almost all the assemblages. Possible indication of a local domestication process is provided by pips dated to the Early Bronze Age. Also still in the range of modern wild specimens, their shape is an intermediate between the Neolithic pips and those dated to later periods. A high morphological diversity characterizes the Late Bronze Age and Archaic assemblages. These grape pips are mostly allocated to modern varieties from the Balkans, Caucasus and South-West Asia. The geographical origin of the identified varieties may reflect introduction of cultivars from the eastern Mediterranean, but may also testify to an early stage of local domestication and grapevine diversification. •Analyses on the largest dataset of archaeological grape pips available from Greece.•Clues to a domestication process rooted in the Neolithic.•First domesticated grape pips appear during the Middle Bronze Age.•Ancient morphotypes are close to modern varieties from the Balkans and Caucasus.