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Rare discovery reveals Ancient Roman burial practices and surprises by keeping the liquid preserved for two millennia
An unexpected discovery in a house in the city of Carmona, Spain, has become a landmark in the history of archaeology. In 2019, a family was carrying out renovations on their property when they came across a Roman tomb carved into the rock, sealed and intact for around two thousand years.
What seemed to be just another archaeological find turned out to be something much more curious and extraordinary: an urn with human ashes and an old wine still in a liquid state.
A surprise between ashes and gold
Inside the tomb, archaeologists found six cremation urns. One of them contained human remains, a gold ring and a glass container filled to the brim with a reddish-brown liquid.
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At first, it was thought to be water or the result of some type of infiltration. But, as time went by, studies proved what few could have imagined.
Five years later, scientists confirmed that the mysterious liquid was Roman wine. At around 2,000 years old, it became the oldest liquid ever discovered. The analysis was led by organic chemist José Rafael Ruiz Arrebola of the University of Córdoba.
Rare and intact preservation
According to Ruiz Arrebola, the rock-cut tomb remained sealed for centuries. This ensured an unusual preservation: no evaporation, invasions, looting or presence of microorganisms. The burial chamber remained intact, protecting all the objects deposited there.
The finding was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. The discovery surpasses even the famous Speyer bottle, found in Germany in 1867 and dating back to the XNUMXth century.
Unlike Speyer, the Spanish wine underwent a detailed chemical analysis, which allowed the composition and original characteristics of the drink to be identified.
The urn belonged to a man named Senicio. His name was engraved on the object. In addition to the cremated bones, there were about five liters of wine stored in the glass container, known as olla ossuaria.
A gold ring with the Roman god Janus and parts of the metal which may have belonged to the cremation bed.
Wine as a status symbol in death
The use of wine in funeral urns was not unheard of in the Roman world. For the elite, it was part of farewell rituals.
It was a symbolic way of accompanying the deceased on their passage to the afterlife. However, this type of tribute was generally exclusive to men.
In the same tomb, archaeologists also found the remains of a woman named Hispana. She was buried with jewelry, fabrics and perfumes — objects considered more appropriate for the female figure, according to the customs of the time.
Women, even after death, were not allowed to receive wine at their ceremonies. The practice reflected the strict social norms of ancient Rome.
What did the wine say?
Tasting the contents of the urn was not in the scientists' plans. Even though their curiosity was aroused, the tests were all carried out in the laboratory.
First, it was necessary to eliminate alternative hypotheses. There were no signs of external moisture, infiltration or contact with the soil. The other urns were completely dry. The conclusion was clear: the liquid was original from that time, spilled there on purpose during the burial.
The analyses showed that the liquid had a pH of 7,5, close to that of water. Modern wines, by comparison, are more acidic, with a pH of around 3. The difference is expected after millennia of chemical changes.
The most revealing aspect of the research was the identification of polyphenols, compounds present in all wines. Seven different types were detected. They were compared to the polyphenols found in current wines from the Andalusia region, such as Montilla-Moriles, Jerez and Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
The results matched. The researchers concluded that the wine in the urn was white, not red as it might appear from its current color.
The proof of this was the absence of syringic acid, a compound that forms when the pigments in red wine break down. “We looked exclusively for polyphenols in wine — and we found seven wine polyphenols,” explained Ruiz Arrebola.
The similarity to modern Andalusian wines suggests that the ancient Romans in the region already cultivated and produced drinks using similar methods.
Liquid testimony of a lost past
This was the first time that scientists were able to study Roman wine while it was still in its liquid state. Until then, all knowledge about ancient drinks came from analyzing dried residues or traces absorbed by ceramic vessels.
With this discovery, it was possible to directly observe the chemical transformation of wine over two millennia.
More than just an object of study, the wine found represents a preserved memory. It tells a story of social status, death rituals and even the taste and style of the drink in a very distant time.The Romans were proud, even in death“, said Ruiz Arrebola. “They wanted to remain in people’s memory.”
The tests did not reveal the presence of toxins, but even so, no one dared to try it.
The drink, sealed with the ashes of a man two thousand years ago, served another purpose: not to be tasted, but to be remembered.
