In the southern region of Andalusia, archaeologists made a remarkable discovery in Carmona. They found a 2000-year-old wine in a burial urn along with cremated human remains. The wine was preserved in liquid form and is believed to be the oldest ever found. The liquid was analyzed, and it was determined that it was white wine, despite its dark color, as it lacked the polyphenols found in grape skins used to make red wine.
Juan Manuel Román, an archaeologist involved in the discovery, expressed surprise at finding liquid inside the urns during excavation. Initially, they assumed the urns contained bones and grave goods, not liquid. However, further analysis revealed that the liquid-filled urn also contained a gold ring and was believed to have belonged to a 45-year-old man based on expert analysis.
The Roman mausoleum in Carmona was discovered during the renovation of a house in 2019 and contained funeral urns alongside the remains of a man and a woman. The practice of burying wine with the deceased was common in ancient Roman burials, likely part of a ritual to aid the deceased in the afterlife. However, this discovery is unique as it marks an unprecedented mixing of remains with wine preservation for over 2000 years.
The discovery provides insight into ancient Roman culture and their beliefs about death and afterlife. It also highlights how important wine production was during that time period, even for burial purposes.
Overall, this remarkable find sheds new light on an aspect of ancient Roman culture that has been largely overlooked until now. The preservation of such artifacts over thousands of years is truly remarkable and underscores how much we can learn from studying our past.
