The Vineyard, the Vintage, and the Making of Wine in the Ancient Orient. 52 



are seen below with the grape-filled baskets. In the wall- 

 painting of Beni-Hasan two long-horned goats climb up the 

 bush and browse on the vine foliage. It seems thus that 

 after the vintage was over the domesticated animals were 

 allowed to enter the vineyards in order to browse upon the 

 vines. 



The grapes were put into large vats, inside of which at 

 least four men could find sufficient room. The paintings 

 sometimes show five or six men standing in such vats. The 

 vat was always placed on a slight elevation, and during the 

 New Empire was round in form. The paintings do not show 

 very distinctly the form of the vat in the time preceding the 

 New Empire, but it is possible to think that they were gene- 

 rally round in form. The 

 layer of grapes in the vat, 

 which was of acacia wood, 

 was not deep. It hardl}' 

 went beyond the ankles of 

 the vine-pressers, who pres- 

 sed the grapes with their 

 feet, 

 sometimes covered 



with 



a roof From the roof or ^o. 7. Phicking grapes and frigthening 

 the cover hung down as away birds with a sling (after Wilkinson, 

 many ropes as men were The Ancient Egyptians], 



able to find standing room 



in the vat. In case that there was no roofer cover supplied with 

 ropes which were held by the men in order to hold their balance, 

 the men at both extremities of the vat held on to poles, which 

 were placed on both sides. The men between the two secured 

 their position by holding each other by the hips. The wine- 

 pressers next made the round in the vat, while singing 

 a rhythmic song. Two men near the winepress marked the 

 rhythm by simph' clapping their hands, or else by a special 

 object, which was of a rectangular form'. It is possible that 

 sometimes women were called upon to mark the rhythm, 

 and to keep time for the dancing men inside of the 



The large vat was 



i) See L. D., Ergiinzungen, pi. 21. 



