Italy: The reddish liquid found in Pompeii may be the world’s oldest wine | It will have relics of more than 2000 years old

After finding in 2021 an exquisitely preserved tomb with the partially mummified body of Marcus Vinerius Secondiusa general slave and custodian of the temple of Venus, who was once liberated and attained a certain socio-economic status, Researchers from the University of Valencia discovered Another tomb of a family pantheon with a bowl filled with a reddish liquid inside a glass jar, which could be the world’s oldest wine.

Llorenç Alapont, researcher in the Department of Prehistory, Archeology and Ancient History at the Research Center, announced that the content could be verified in the coming weeks. If the hypotheses are confirmed, It will be the world’s oldest liquid wine, with a history dating back more than 2,000 years.

The container was found in another tomb of family deities that contained the ashes My beloved Ambelis, the wife of Marcos Vinerius Secondo, with three children aged 6, 8 and 10. Archaeologists found the metal chest and inside it an exceptional glass jar, which, according to researchers, indicates high luxury.

The first laboratory tests, under the supervision of Gianni Galileo, revealed that Pompeii’s liquid contained tannins. Experts are now comparing the sample to current drinks to see how similar and different they are from contemporary wine.

“The presence of wine in Roman funeral rites was known,” Allaponte explained, explaining that “after the deposition of the bones, the jar was filled with this liquid, as part of the burial ceremony.”

So far it is believed, although not confirmed, that the world’s oldest wine is found in a glass bottle found in the tomb of a Roman nobleman from 325 AD near the German city of Speyer.

The Discovery of Marcus Vinerius Secondo

In August 2021, researchers from the University of Valencia were surprised to discover the partially modified corpse of Marcos Vinerius Seconddio, since, according to tradition, the bodies of adults were always cremated in Pompeii, the city destroyed by the eruption of the volcano Vesuvius. c.

“This is a very important and unique find. It is the only tomb in Pompeii that has a burial chamber and also with an inscription that tells not only of the life of the deceased, but also of his love for theater and artwork, especially in Greek, for and for the first time this has been verified of performing shows in this language in the city,” Allaponte explained at the time in an interview with the agency. EFE.

The figure of Marcus Venerius Secundio appears in the wax tablets archive of the Pompeian banker Cecilius Jucundus, owner of the Domus of the same name on Via Vesuvius. He was a general slave and custodian of the temple of Venus, who, once freed, achieved a certain socio-economic status, as his tomb shows, and became an Augustan, that is, a member of the college of priests devoted to the cult of the empire.