The world’s oldest known wine bottle was recently discovered in a Roman cemetery in southern Spain, according to a study published this week.
The wine is kept in glass jars inside an ancient mausoleum in the Andalusian town of Carmona, where it has remained untouched for almost 2,000 years.
A jar containing a reddish liquid. (University of Cordoba)
A family discovered the sunken tomb while renovating their home in 2019. The discovery made waves when researchers discovered that the urn contained a “reddish-colored” liquid.
The research team carried out a series of tests to confirm that the liquid was, in fact, wine, as they had suspected.
Building a subway under ancient Roman ruins including the Colosseum
“At first we were very surprised to find liquid preserved in one of the burial jars,” said Juan Manuel Roman, municipal archaeologist of Carmona, part of the team that carried out the study together with the Department of Organic Chemistry at the University of Córdoba.
Roman tomb in southern Spain. (University of Cordoba)
The team found that the tomb’s preservation was “exceptional” and that it had remained tightly sealed for 2,000 years, allowing the wine to remain in a nearly pristine state.
Ancient Roman funeral chamber. (University of Cordoba)
The research team announced their findings on Tuesday. Journal of Archaeological Sciences.
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The find breaks the previous record of a bottle of Speyer wine discovered in 1867 and dating back to the 4th century AD.
The Spier wine is preserved in the Pfalz History Museum in Germany.
