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Rare Discovery Reveals Funeral Practices of Ancient Rome 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 renovating their property when they came across a Roman tomb carved into the rock, sealed and intact for about two thousand years.
What seemed to be just another archaeological find turned out to be something much more curious and extraordinary: a urn with human ashes and an ancient wine still in liquid form.
A Surprise Between Ashes and Gold
Inside the tomb, archaeologists found six cremation urns. In one of them, there were human remains, a gold ring, and a glass container filled to the brim with a brownish-red liquid.
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At first, it was thought to be water or the result of some kind of infiltration. But over time, studies confirmed what few could have imagined.
Five years later, scientists confirmed that the mysterious liquid was Roman wine. At around two thousand years old, it became the oldest ever discovered in liquid form. The analysis was led by organic chemist José Rafael Ruiz Arrebola from the University of Córdoba.
Rare and Intact Preservation
According to Ruiz Arrebola, the rock-carved 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 placed there.
The find was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. The discovery even surpasses the famous Speyer bottle, found in Germany in 1867 and dating from the 4th century.
Unlike Speyer, the Spanish wine underwent detailed chemical analysis, allowing for the identification of the composition and original characteristics of the beverage.
The urn belonged to a man named Senicio. His name was inscribed 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 metallic parts that may have belonged to the cremation bed were also found.
Wine as a Status Symbol in Death
The use of wine in funeral urns was not unprecedented in the Roman world. For the elite, it was part of farewell rituals.
It was a symbolic way to accompany the deceased in the 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 suitable for the female figure according to the customs of the time.
Women, even in death, were not allowed to receive wine in their ceremonies. The practice reflected the rigid social norms of ancient Rome.
What the Wine Said?
Tasting the contents of the urn was not in the scientists’ plans. Even with the curiosity sparked, all tests were laboratory-based.
First, it was necessary to rule out 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 the time, intentionally poured there during the burial.
Tests showed that the liquid had a pH of 7.5, close to that of water. Modern wines, in comparison, are more acidic, with a pH of around 3. The difference is expected after millennia of chemical alterations.
The most revealing point 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 modern wines from the Andalusia region, such as Montilla-Moriles, Jerez, and Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
The results matched. Researchers concluded that the wine in the urn was white, and not red as it might seem from its current coloration.
Proof of this was the absence of syringic acid, a compound that forms when red wine pigments decompose. “We searched for polyphenols exclusively in the wine—and we found seven wine polyphenols,” explained Ruiz Arrebola.
The similarity with modern Andalusian wines suggests that ancient Romans in the region were already cultivating and producing beverages using similar methods.
Liquid Testimony of a Lost Past
This was the first time scientists were able to study a Roman wine still in its liquid state. Until now, all knowledge about ancient beverages came from the analysis of dry residues or traces absorbed by ceramic vessels.
With this discovery, it was possible to directly observe the chemical transformation of wine over the course of two millennia.
More than an object of study, the found wine represents a preserved memory. It tells a story of social status, death rituals, and even the taste and style of beverages in a very distant era. “The Romans were proud, even in death,” said Ruiz Arrebola. “They wanted to remain in people’s memories.”
The tests revealed no presence of toxins, but even so, no one dared to taste it.
The drink, sealed alongside the ashes of a man two thousand years ago, served another purpose: not to be tasted, but to be remembered.
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