The region of Chianti is synonymous with red wine, and there is evidence of viniculture in the area dating back millennia. This includes dozens of 2,000-year-old grape seeds recovered from wells at the site of Cetamura del Chianti. A new study revealed that farmers grew a single variety of grape there for centuries. Unexpectedly, these were green grapes, which were used to make a white vintage, not the familiar red Chianti. It was only after the Roman conquest that new grape varietals were introduced.

A rare gold ring unearthed in a burial at the Don Yai Thong site in Phetchaburi Province has highlighted the area’s broad cultural connections and involvement in ancient trade networks linking India with Vietnam 2,000 years ago. The ring is engraved with Brahmi characters—an ancient Indian writing system—that spell out pusarakhitasa, or “the one protected by Pushya.” Pushya is a zodiac sign in Indian astrology. Experts believe the ring’s original owner may have belonged to the Vaishya caste, which included merchants and traders.

Assyrian cuneiform correspondence written on tablets was often sealed in clay envelopes that had to be broken to read their contents. For the first time, scanning technology has allowed Assyriologists to view these messages without destroying the envelopes. Among the newly legible missives found in the ancient city of Kanesh is a 3,800-year-old letter sent from a woman named Anna-anna to her husband, Ennum-Ashur. Anna-anna expresses frustration over her attempts to recover silver owed to her husband and laments that the debtor refuses to repay her directly.