Archaeologists have made a sensational discovery in the historic city of Karmon, in Spanish Andalusia. They found a bottle of wine about 2000 years old, which contained the creamy bones of a man. It is one of the oldest bottles of wine ever found, and it is believed that it belongs to the fourth century AD. The find sheds light on ancient Roman funeral rituals and gender differences in the rites of that time.
Unique find and its symbolism
The glass bottle with liquid was found five years ago, but only now with the help of tests managed to confirm that the liquid inside is wine. Carmon's municipal archaeologist Juan Manuel Roman confessed that the team of archaeologists was very surprised by the preservation of wine in the bottle for two millennia.
However, not only was a surprise to preserve the fluid: the bottle also found the creamy bones of a man with a gold heel. This find indicates the special burial rituals inherent in Roman society. Researchers drew attention to the fact that the remains belong to the man, which can be explained by the strict social norms of the time. In ancient Rome, women were forbidden to use wine, which was considered a "men's drink".
The second bottle with other finds
In addition to this unique bottle, archaeologists have found another bottle of creamy residues, but this time women. However, there was no wine in this bottle - instead it found three amber jewelry, a bottle of perfume and silk fabric. This may indicate a difference in funeral rituals for men and women in ancient Roman society.
The Romans believed that objects that put in the tomb along with the deceased could be used in the other life. Therefore, jewelry, perfumes and silk in a woman's tomb indicate the desire to provide her with her journey after death.
Roman funeral rituals
The Roman funeral consisted of five stages: processions, cremation and burial, eulogies, banquet and commemoration. However, there has been almost no detailed descriptions of these rites. Archaeological finds, such as carmon bottles, help to restore fragments of knowledge about the funeral traditions of Ancient Rome.
These rituals were extremely important, since the Romans believed that improper burial could lead to the fact that the soul of the deceased would not find peace and return in the form of an evil spirit from the underworld.
