The liquid turned out to be a sherry-like wine (Image: Juan Manuel Román )
The cremated bones of a man have been found in the world’s oldest bottle of wine, in a stunning discovery.
The bottle, dating back 2,000 years, was originally found five years ago by archaeologists during an excavation of a in Carmona, .
A liquid was found inside the urn by researchers, who then carried out a number of tests.
These revealed that the liquid was in fact a sherry-like dating back to the fourth century, making it one of the oldest vintages ever to be discovered.
The tomb contained eight burial niches (Image: Juan Manuel Román)
José Rafael Ruiz Arrebola, an organic chemist at the University of who led the analysis of the wine, said: “There was an even greater surprise when the archeologists opened the urn and saw that it was full of liquid.
“The urn also contained the cremated bones of a man and a gold ring decorated with a .
“It was put in afterwards and the dead man wasn’t wearing it when he was cremated.
“There were also what could be the metal feet of the bed on which the body was cremated.”
The Spanish urn was discovered by chance, after a family came across a sunken tomb while carrying out work on their property in 2019.
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The tomb contained eight burial niches, six of which held urns made from limestone, sandstone, or glass and lead.
Each urn contained the cremated bone remains from a single individual and two were inscribed with the names of the deceased: Hispanae and Senicio.
One urn contained the remains of a woman, along with three amber jewels, a bottle of perfume, with a patchouli scent, and the remains of silk fabrics.
The artefacts placed in the tomb were done so according to a belief that the dead would need them on their voyage to the afterlife.
It is generally believed that there were five stages to a Roman funeral, although there are no direct descriptions of the ritual.
The five parts consisted of a procession, cremation and burial, eulogy, feast, and commemoration.
The Romans believed it was very important to conduct the proper ceremonies and burial to avoid having a malicious spirit rising from the underworld.