Successful discovery of archaeologists! A real surprise was found in a 2000-year-old glass Roman urn

A new archaeological discovery of a sealed ancient Roman wine urn containing cremated remains reveals a unique aspect of Roman burial practices and offers insight into the luxury and rituals of the time.
In a remarkable discovery at the ancient Roman necropolis of Carmo in Spain, archaeologists have unearthed a 2,000-year-old wine vessel still sealed and containing liquid. The wine, once sweet white, took on a reddish hue due to the cremated remains of a Roman stored in it. The aforementioned discovery now represents the oldest known vintage in the world, predating the 4th century bottle of Speyer wine.

We were very surprised that the liquid was preserved in one of the burial urns, said archaeologist Juan Manuel Román of the Museum of the City of Carmona. The mausoleum, probably a family tomb, was discovered sealed and undisturbed by time or grave robbers, a rarity and the reason for the aforementioned unique find, including patchouli perfumes, jewelry, textiles and glassware. Among them, however, stood out a sealed glass urn half filled with liquid.
Pouring wine over cremated remains was a well-known funerary practice in ancient Rome. However, there is a possibility that the liquid may accidentally leak into the urn. Similar findings, such as the discovery of a sealed ancient Egyptian sarcophagus filled with liquid, suggest that the tomb may have been flooded or that the mausoleum may have leaked or experienced condensation.

The scientists, led by chemist Daniel Cosan of the University of Cordoba, performed extensive chemical analyzes to identify the liquid. They measured its pH and organic content and used inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to detect chemical elements in mineral salts. They identified polyphenols, compounds found in foods and beverages.

Their research was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.

Comparisons with wines from nearby regions such as Montilla-Moriles, Jerez and Sanlúcar showed that the mineral salts and polyphenols of the liquid matched the wine. The absence of syringic acid, a polyphenol found in red wine, indicates that the original wine was a white variety.

The scientific team tried to discover the origin of the wine, but could not definitively determine its source due to the lack of information about the local wines of the time. Despite this, the wine shared similarities with modern sweet wines from Montilla-Moriles, a region known for its Amontilado wine.

The Roman buried in the urn full of wine was buried with five others. Another urn contained the remains of a woman named Hispana, accompanied by amber jewelry, a stone crystal jar of patchouli, and a silk cloth. The Roman urn also held a gold ring with the image of Janus, the Roman god of time.

Source: Science Alert