THE SPEYER WINE BOTTLE
The oldest known Roman wine dates back to the 4th century CE.
The 1.5-litre bottle was discovered in 1867, during an excavation of a 4th-century AD Roman nobleman’s tomb in present-day Germany.
In the tomb there were two sarcophagi, one for a woman and one for a man.
It was determined that the man was a Roman legionary.
The wine was put with the dead for the purposes of a “heavenly journey”.
Six glass bottles and ten dishes were also found in the tomb, however, only one bottle contained liquid.
The bottle is two thirds full, and the researchers managed to confirm that it is Roman wine, diluted with a mixture of herbs.
Thanks to the large amount of dense olive oil added to the bottle, and hot wax sealant, the wine has survived.
The bottle has been dated between 325 and 350 AD, and is the oldest known unopened bottle of wine in the world.
While scientists have considered accessing the liquid to further analyse the content, as of 2023 the bottle has remained unopened.
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