Archaeologists in Carmona, a historic town in Andalusia, have made a remarkable discovery by unearthing what is believed to be the world’s oldest wine, contained within a 2,000-year-old glass urn. The findings, which include human remains, ancient Roman wine, and a gold ring, were revealed during an excavation that began in 2019.
The urn was found in an undiscovered section of Carmona’s necropolis, a vast mausoleum beneath the city. It was encased in a lead container, which helped preserve its contents over the centuries. Initially, experts from the University of Córdoba dated the liquid inside to the fourth century, but further analysis has since revised this estimate to the first century, confirming its status as the oldest known vintage.
Within the urn, scientists discovered a liquid with a reddish hue, which was originally white wine. The urn also contained the cremated remains of a man, whose ashes were submerged in the liquid alongside a golden ring. This suggests the items were part of a funerary “trousseau,” a collection of personal goods intended to accompany the deceased to the afterlife.
According to José Rafael Ruiz Arrebola, an organic chemist at the University of Córdoba, “It’s a sunken tomb that was excavated from the rock, which allowed it to remain standing for 2,000 years.” The burial site is believed to have belonged to a wealthy family and was located near a major road that historically connected Carmona to Seville, known as Hispalis during Roman times.
Roman society placed great importance on funerary practices, often constructing elaborate monuments over tombs to ensure the deceased were remembered. The presence of wine in the urn highlights social divisions of the time, as historical records indicate that women were generally prohibited from drinking wine, which was considered a “man’s drink.” This finding illustrates how these societal norms extended even into the afterlife.
The Carmona wine narrowly surpasses the Speyer Wine Bottle, which dates to 325 CE and was discovered in a tomb near Speyer, Germany, making it a significant contender for the title of the world’s oldest wine. The excavation in Carmona not only sheds light on ancient Roman customs but also provides valuable insights into the cultural practices surrounding death and remembrance in antiquity.
As archaeologists continue to study the site and its findings, the implications of this discovery will enhance our understanding of Roman life and death, offering a fascinating glimpse into a bygone era.
