Vintage 536: The Effect of the Late Antique Little Ice Age on the Viticulture of Southern Palestine

The towns of southern Palestine, producers of the famous Gaza wine, saw a marked decline in both wine production and general prosperity following dramatic climate shifts in the mid sixth century. Two natural disasters in the nineteenth century, the eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815 and the introduction of phylloxera to French vineyards beginning in 1863 provide useful proxies. Both events caused significant hunger that exacerbated public health issues in viticulture dependent communities. Indications for poor public health in the nineteenth century proxies include high relative mortality and shorter stature in affected areas. It is likely late antique viticultural communities had similar problems. However, Gaza wine was still produced during and after the Late Antique Little Ice Age. Genetic and literary evidence indicate that intercropping of grape varieties was practiced, which likely prevented total collapse of the regional industry.