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Although wine dates back to the earliest human societies, actual samples from ancient cultures are rare to find. Thanks to a well-preserved tomb and a little luck, however, a team of archeologists and chemists from Spain’s University of Cordoba recently announced what they believe to be the oldest known wine ever discovered. At over 2,000-years-old, the vintage libation also contains a macabre additive—the skeletal remains of a Roman aristocrat.
Back in 2019, archeologists uncovered two glass funerary urns while excavating a six-person tomb from the first century CE near Carmona, Italy. Inside one of them, the cremated bones of a man named Senicio were immersed in a red-tinged liquid that researchers believed was wine.
Interring bones inside an urn with wine was a popular burial ritual among the Roman elite, but the custom was largely reserved for men due to societal prohibitions on women drinking alcohol. Just how rigidly women upheld this standard is likely up for debate, but when it came to a final resting place, Roman men were solely those receiving a boozy trip to the afterlife. Women—such as Hispana, who occupied the tomb’s other glass urn—were traditionally accompanied by jewels, perfumes, and fabrics like silk.
www.popsci.com
Back in 2019, archeologists uncovered two glass funerary urns while excavating a six-person tomb from the first century CE near Carmona, Italy. Inside one of them, the cremated bones of a man named Senicio were immersed in a red-tinged liquid that researchers believed was wine.
Interring bones inside an urn with wine was a popular burial ritual among the Roman elite, but the custom was largely reserved for men due to societal prohibitions on women drinking alcohol. Just how rigidly women upheld this standard is likely up for debate, but when it came to a final resting place, Roman men were solely those receiving a boozy trip to the afterlife. Women—such as Hispana, who occupied the tomb’s other glass urn—were traditionally accompanied by jewels, perfumes, and fabrics like silk.
The world's oldest wine contains a cremated Roman aristocrat
Don't worry, it wasn't for drinking.
www.popsci.com
