Archaeology
Archaeologists uncover 2,000-year-old Roman winery
A team of archaeologists have uncovered a 2,000-year-old Roman winery in Rome, revealing new insights into the cultural importance of agriculture in ancient Rome and its role as a form of entertainment for the highest echelons of society.
The winery was found in the lavishly decorated Villa of the Quintilii, where the day-to-day production of wine was presented as entertainment for wealthy, powerful Romans, perhaps including the emperor himself.
Excavations at the site, which are published in the journal Antiquity, revealed a complex system of rooms and channels used for wine production and storage. The wine making process would have begun in the treading room, which unlike other waterproof plaster-covered examples from the same period, was found to be clad with expensive red marble.
The slippery nature of marble makes it an unusual choice for a production area and further hints at the importance of theatricality at the winery. The excavations, which began in 2017, also revealed the mechanisms of two large presses and a multicoloured marble-clad fountain-like system through which wine flowed to storage jars in the cellar.
Image Credit : Antiquity
A series of lavishly decorated rooms surrounding the winery were likely used by the emperor and his retinue to dine while observing the wine being made. Each of these rooms have wide open entrances which offered an expansive view of the workers and the mechanisms of the winery system.
Lead author Dr Emlyn Dodd, previously of the British School at Rome and now based in the Institute of Classical Studies, University of London, said: “Agricultural labour was romanticised by the ruling classes of many ancient cultures, especially as it was often the source of both their wealth and status. The excavations at the Villa of the Quintilii reveal to us how ancient Roman elites reimagined the annual vintage as a “theatrical” performance, prioritising the experience of those observing over the practical needs of the workers.
“It would have been a real spectacle for those watching, the combination of fountains of wine and water, luxurious materials – especially the thin white marble channels through which the wine could be seen flowing – and the sounds of the workers and music would have resulted in a theatrical show.”
The Villa of the Quintilii was part of the imperial estate and both its proximity to Rome and luxurious decorations, suggest that it may have played an active role in imperial life. Compared to other imperial properties, where once-lavish quarters were later transformed for utilitarian use, Gordian’s imperial court may have visited the Villa of the Quintilii for a ritual at this facility associated with the annual vintage.
The winery’s discovery has also increased our knowledge of the brief reign of Gordian III, who we now know began a program of monumental construction focused on infrastructure and restoration of facilities for spectacle, including Rome’s famous Colosseum.
https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2023.18
Header Image Credit : Antiquity
In 2023, archaeologists discovered the submerged remains of a Nabataean temple during an underwater survey of the ancient port of Puteoli, located in modern-day Pozzuoli, Italy.
Puteoli was established in the mid-6th century BC as a Greek colony called Dicaearchia. After the Roman conquest of Campania following the First Samnite War, Dicaearchia was annexed into the Roman Republic, which later founded the colony of Puteoli.
Puteoli served as one of the primary trading hubs for Rome, emerging as the great emporium of foreign trade for the Alexandrian grain ships and goods from across the Roman world.
Due to the position of Puteoli in the Phlegraean Fields, an active volcanic region, volcanic bradyseismic activity has raised and lowered the geology on the peninsula, resulting in parts of Puteoli being submerged.
The results of a year-long study, published in the journal Antiquity, has mapped and reconstructed parts of the submerged temple, the only known temple located outside of Nabataea – an allied kingdom of Rome that controlled territory from the Euphrates to the Red Sea.
The Nabataean temple and the internal routes of the vicus Lartidianus (dotted lines) at the current stage of research – Image Credit : M. Silani
Using a photogrammetric survey, the researchers have identified that the temple had a rectangular plan and two rooms with access facing north, linked to the internal routes of the vicus Lartidianus (an area designated for foreign people engaged in trade).
Within one of the rooms (designated Room A) are two altars made of white Luni marble, and a mensa with eight rectangular recesses for housing aniconic betils. In the second room (designated Room B), the southern perimeter wall has a white marble slab covering, one of which shows the inscription Dusari sacrum, meaning “consecrated to Dushara”, the chief deity of the Nabataean pantheon.
According to the study authors: “The existence of a Nabataean sanctuary within the port area confirms that there was a community from that region participating in the commercial activities of Puteoli.”
“The integration of these individuals within the local community is evident in the building techniques and materials used in the construction of the temple, and for the choice of Latin for the inscriptions to their supreme god, the lord of the mountains and the germinating force of nature, Dushara.”
Header Image Credit : M.Steanile
Sources : Antiquity | https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2024.107
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
Archaeologists from the Archaeological Museum at the University of Stavanger have discovered a Viking treasure hoard in the Hjelmeland municipality, Norway.
Excavations were in preparation for the construction of a new farm track to identify any archaeological remains in situ. The researchers discovered traces of a Viking farmstead, consisting of several structures for both the inhabitants and their animals.
Numerous domestic and agricultural objects have been unearthed, including soapstone pots, knife blades, rivets, and whetstones used for sharpening tools.
Mari Krogstad Samuelsen and Ola Tengesdal Lygre were excavating a dwelling used for housing slaves, when they identified what appeared to be twisted hedging wire at a depth of 20 centimetres.
Upon further inspection, the objects were revealed to be four heavy silver bracelets, each adorned with distinct decorative elements.
“This is definitely the biggest thing I have experienced in my career”, says archaeologist and project manager Volker Demuth from the Archaeological Museum at the University of Stavanger.
“This is a unique find, because we very rarely find such objects exactly where they were placed. As a rule, such valuable objects are discovered on fields that have been ploughed, where an object has been completely removed from its original context,” added Demuth.
According to the archaeologists, the hoard dates from around the 9th century AD and shares similarities to silver necklaces found in Hjelmeland in 1769. At that time, there were no silver mines operating in Norway, so all the silver used by the Vikings was sourced from abroad, obtained through trade, received as gifts, or taken as loot during their raiding expeditions.
Evidence of burning also indicates that the farmstead was destroyed by fire, likely during a time of conflict that required the necessity for the inhabitant’s valuables to be deposited in the ground for security.
Header Image Credit : Archaeological Museum at the University of Stavanger
Sources : Archaeological Museum at the University of Stavanger
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
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