Page 12 - Koga po~nav da ja pi{uvam prikaznata za vino sakav da gi izbegnam site misti~ni stapici koi kako crveni rubini go osvetluvaat patot kon po~etok na ovoj bo`estven pijalok

had its supremacy. In that period the vineyards were transferred again toward the
Thessaloniki area, but also in the north toward the city Veles. In the early Christian
period STENA STENAE (Demir Kapija) was ranked high again in sense of
historical events. During the research of an early Christian basilica conducted by
academic Blaga Arsova from 1952 till 1956, the researcher concluded that the
basilica is built on cult place, or on early ancient and early Christian cemetery. Two
phases were distinguished in the construction of this temple the older phase is dated
around the 6-th century, in the time of Justinian. With the Avar campaigns this
temple was demolished, and it was rebuilt in the 9-th century, staying in use till the
16-th century when it was definitely destroyed and never rebuilt. The construction
of the early Christian basilicas is linked with the arrival of St. Paul in these areas, in
the first century, when the first attempts for baptism of the population were made.
STENA STENAE ( Demir Kapija) is probably demolished and devastated by the
intrusion of the Avars, and Justinian during the recovery of the military settlements
and fortification facilities moved again STENA STENAE (Demir Kapija) to its
former location and recovering the fortress Prosek, by doing that the population was
moved on the left bank of river Vardar, and that ends the wine story in these areas
until the time of the recovery of the Macedonian Empire under the rule of king
Samoil. The period of the Macedonian empire is filled with twists, but also with
power that created the empire from the Adriatic Sea all the way to the Black Sea,
from the rivers Sava and Danube to the city of Prosek. In this period the wine cult is
revived again, and gives to the Tikvesh area, but also and the south of the Demir
Kapija’s gorge an exclusivity in sense of production of one of the wines with the
highest quality in that period. Wine which before all is part of the Christian rites,
from the military to civilian needs. The overall Christian civilization turns toward
wine and beside ritual purposes it was mass used as beverage. The large
Macedonian empire gives tremendous impulse in the branching of the wine roads
toward the continent, and imposes the wine as beverage of every nation under
Macedonian management. With the mass demand for wine the production
increases, but also and the grapevine is moved toward the continent. Tikvesh region
does not lose its dominant position among the winemakers on the peninsula, but a
migration of a part of Macedonian population toward the continent happened, to
areas with similar climate and geological characteristics. In this period new wine
and viticulture regions were created, some of them exist today. After the fall of
Samuil’s Empire, Prosek (Demir Kapija) remained in the focus of the political
events from the first uprising lead by Dobromir Strez untill the second uprising in
1144 in the time of Dobromir Hrs, when the large Macedonian Empire was for the
second time established free from Byzantine influence and occupation. There is not
much information available about the economic situation in Macedonia in that
period, but because of the deeper enthronement of Christianity, wine still had its
cult and religious role. There are relatively modest remains from this period, except
for the pitos – large cups, buckets where wine was contained and the ceramic
containers for wine serving. Wine was being contained in wooden barrels and goat
skins, so it is impossible the remains from that period to be preserved as artifacts
today. From this period date the rock cisterns – limestone troughs where the grape
was put and squeezed with feet or with wooden hulls. Such remains of rock
containers used for grinding were found in the area of the village Bohula in the
Tikvesh region. Before the end of the 13-th century Macedonia falls under Serbian
administration, and winemaking and viticulture is moved intensively to the north.
Tikvesh as an area between three rivers still nurtures viticulture, but the migration
of the viticulturists from this area toward the north grows larger. In the first half of
the 14-th century Tikvesh loses its dominant position and the area between Gradsko
and Veles as well as the area from Veles toward Sveti Nikole became winemaking

12