Gaby
A team of archaeologists from the University of Córdoba (Spain) has uncovered ancient sherry preserved in liquid form inside a Roman tomb. The oldest wine in the world, discovered in the town of Carmona (Seville province), has been dated to the 1st century AD.
This wine was found in a burial urn containing cremated remains. The find came with other surprising details. Archaeochemical analysis identified the drink as a white wine that turned a reddish-brown color over the course of 2,000 years.
What the Researchers Learned
The tomb was first discovered by a family in Carmona while digging in their backyard.
The tomb featured eight niches. Six of these housed burial urns made of limestone, sandstone, glass, or lead. Each urn contained the cremated remains of an individual along with various items typical of ancient Roman burial rituals. Two urns carried the names of the deceased: Hispanae and Senicio.
In the niche designated as number 8, the team discovered a glass jar for cremated remains. Inside, they found about five liters of a brownish-red liquid, as reported by Arkeonews.
Analysis conducted by university chemists revealed that the liquid is an ancient wine similar to sherry. Once a white wine, it transformed into a reddish-brown hue after centuries of chemical reactions.
“The wine turned out to be very similar to local sherry-type wines from this part of Andalusia,” said organic chemist José Rafael Ruiz Arrebola, who led the liquid analysis.
Using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), scientists identified the mineral salt components of the wine. These included elements common in old wines, such as potassium, calcium, and magnesium. The researchers also identified polyphenols typically present in grapes. The presence of those polyphenols and the mineral salt profile indicated that this was indeed a white wine of the sherry type.
The wine’s longevity in liquid form suggests Roman preservation and storage techniques, combined with local climatic conditions that allowed the drink to remain intact for nearly two millennia.
Before this discovery, the oldest known wine preserved in liquid form was a drink found in a bottle excavated in 1867 from a Roman tomb near the German city of Speyer, dated to 325 AD.
The use of wine in Roman burial rituals is well documented. People would often fill the urn with a potent drink after placing the cremated remains inside. This ritual of pouring wine was believed to ease the deceased’s transition to a better world.
The team’s findings were published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.
