World's oldest wine jar contains cremated human bones

The world's oldest wine jar containing a man's ashes in a Roman tomb sheds light on 1st century burial practices.

Earlier this year, archaeologists announced that a strange liquid inside a 2,000-year-old glass jar from Andalusia was the oldest wine ever found . The jar was discovered in 2019 in a Roman tomb in Carmona. Now, researchers have found the cremated bones of a man soaked in the liquid dating back to the 1st century , Independent reported on September 30.

Wine in a 2,000-year-old Roman glass jar is reddish brown. (Photo: Juan Manuel Román)

The wine vessel described in the journal Archaeological Science is older than the Speyer wine discovered in 1867, dating back to the 4th century. "We were initially surprised by the liquid contained in one of the urns," said archaeologist Juan Manuel Román of Carmona province. To confirm that the liquid was wine, the team conducted a series of chemical analyses to assess its pH, organic matter, and salt content. They then compared the chemicals found with modern wines from Montilla-Moriles, Jerez, and Sanlúcar.

The key to identifying the liquid as wine lies in the polyphenol compounds found in all wines. Scientists found seven polyphenol compounds that were also present in the wines from Montilla-Moriles, Jerez, and Sanlúcar. But tracing the origins of the ancient wine is challenging because there are no contemporary samples to compare it to.

Meanwhile, the presence of cremated human bones reveals more about burial practices common in Spain during the Roman period. The bones were placed in wine, along with a gold ring. That the bones belonged to a man was no coincidence, according to the archaeologists. Women in ancient Rome were forbidden to drink wine, a beverage reserved for men. The presence of ashes in urns reflects the gender segregation of Roman society in burial rites.

Another jar found in the tomb contained the bones of a woman but no wine. Instead, it contained three pieces of amber jewelry, a jar of perfume, patchouli, and silk. Wine, perfume, rings, and other objects were placed in the tomb as burial objects, based on the belief that the deceased would need them on their journey to the afterlife.