In a groundbreaking discovery, Spanish scientists have uncovered the world’s oldest wine, a 2,000-year-old white wine that contains the ashes of a man. The team led by Juan Manuel Román, the municipal archaeologist of the Carmona City Council and the Department of Organic Chemistry at the University of Córdoba made this remarkable find in an ancient tomb in Carmona, a town in southwestern Spain.
The Roman tomb was first discovered in 2019 and contained the remains of an individual named Hispana, Senicio, and four others, two men and two women whose identities remain unknown. During that time’s ritual, one of the men’s skeletal remains was placed in liquid inside a glass funerary urn. Over time, this liquid took on a reddish tone and has been dated back to the 1st century AD.
This wine is now considered the oldest ever found, surpassing the previous record holder – the Speyer wine bottle discovered in 1867 and dated to the 4th century AD. The preservation and sealing of the tomb played a crucial role in maintaining its natural state. According to researchers at University of Córdoba, women were not allowed to drink wine during that era as it was reserved for men.
The discovery has shed light on historical practices and customs during that period and opened up new avenues for research in archaeology. It is fascinating to learn about how such ancient wines were preserved without modern technology or techniques used today.
