“long-tailed liquid containing cremated human remains”
“world’s oldest known wine”.
Accident – Death – Obituary News : Archaeologists in Spain have made a remarkable discovery, uncovering the oldest known preserved wine in a Roman era tomb in the town of Carmona. The wine, believed to be over 2,000 years old, was found in a glass urn and used in a funerary rite to immerse the cremated remains of one of the deceased.
The preservation of the wine in its natural state for such a long period is extraordinary, according to Juan Manuel Román, the municipal archaeologist of Carmona. The tomb’s unique conservation conditions allowed the liquid to maintain its original form, providing researchers with a rare opportunity to analyze ancient wine in its liquid state.
The study, recently published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, utilized high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) to identify the polyphenols present in the wine. The analysis confirmed that the ancient liquid was indeed white wine, shedding light on the drinking habits of the Roman inhabitants of the region.
The origins of the wine have been a subject of debate among researchers, with the mineral salts in the liquid suggesting a possible connection to the Montilla-Moriles region in the former province of Betis. The absence of surviving samples from the same period made it challenging to pinpoint the exact origin of the wine, but the analysis provided valuable insights into the ancient winemaking practices of the era.
Interestingly, a second urn found in the tomb contained the remains of a cremated woman, but no traces of liquid or wine were detected. The researchers speculate that the immersion of the man’s skeletal remains in the wine was not a coincidence, as women in ancient Rome were often prohibited from drinking wine, considering it a man’s drink.
This discovery offers a unique glimpse into the cultural and social practices of the ancient Roman society, highlighting the significance of wine in funerary rituals and gender roles. The well-preserved nature of the wine provides valuable insights into the winemaking techniques and preferences of the time, enriching our understanding of the history of wine production in the region.
Header Image Credit: Juan Manuel Román.
“liquid containing cremated human remains”
“world’s oldest known wine”.
