ROME – The secrets of Roman winemaking have been revealed by a new high-tech study of jars found underwater.
Researchers have discovered that in coastal Italy during the Roman Empire, wine was made from local grapes in jars waterproofed with imported tar. A team from Italy and France examined three Roman amphorae from a seabed deposit near the modern port of San Felice Circeo, southeast of Rome.
A combination of chemical markers, plant tissue remains and pollen provided evidence of grape and pine derivatives in the jars.
The team says their evidence shows that the amphorae were part of the process of making red and white wine, while pine helped create tar to waterproof the jars and possibly flavor the wine. Archaeologists have made similar observations at other ancient sites.
Vine pollen matches wild species from the area, suggesting that Roman winemakers used local plants, although it remains unclear whether they were domesticated at the time.
Pine tar, however, is non-local. Researchers believe it was imported from Calabria or Sicily based on other historical sources.
The research team emphasized the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to the characterization of cultural practices from archaeological artifacts.
Chassouant says identification of plant remains, chemical analysis, historical and archaeological records, amphora design and previous findings contributed to the conclusions of this new analysis. It also provides an example of a methodology for interpreting history beyond artefacts that would not be possible with a single technique.
“If there was a message to keep from reading this article, it would have to do with the multidisciplinary methodology that should be used,” says lead study author Louise Chassouant of the University of Avignon in a press release.
“In fact, by using different approaches to reveal the content and nature of the coating of Roman amphorae, we have come to a conclusion further in understanding ancient practices than would be the case with a single approach.”
The findings are published in the journal PLOS One.
South West News Service writer Stephen Beech contributed to this report.
