Experts uncovered one of the world's rarest finds at a grisly dig site.

Interior of a tomb in Roman necropolis of Carmona

The wine was found in an earn similar to this. (Image: Getty)

Archaeologists have found human remains and what is believed to be the world's oldest vintage in a 2,000 year-old glass container. The urn was found in 2019, and scientists discovered inside a mysterious liquid containing ancient Roman wine, cremated bones and a gold ring.

A lead case surrounded the urn, which was unearthed in Carmona, a historic town in Andalusia. Experts from the University of Córdoba first dated the liquid to the fourth century, but later updated this to the first century - leading them to think it is the oldest wine in the world. Despite a reddish hue, scientists confirmed that it began life as a white wine. The wine contained the cremated remains of a man, whose ashes had been submerged in the liquid alongside a golden ring.

Burial chamber, Roman necropolis of Carmona

The urn was found in Carmona's ancient underground necropolis. (Image: Getty)

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The urn was found in an undiscovered section of Carmona's necropolis, a huge mausoleum beneath the city. House rennovations in 2019 uncovered a shaft leading to an untouched Roman chamber, which contained jewels, a crystal bottle of perfume, silk and two sets of remains. 

“It’s a sunken tomb that was excavated from the rock, which allowed it to remain standing for 2,000 years”, explained José Rafael Ruiz Arrebola, an organic chemist at the University of Córdoba."

"Romans were proud, even in death, and used to build funeral monuments, such as towers, over their tombs so people could see them," he added. "They wanted to remain in people’s memories."

Carmona town cityscape panorama establishing shot in andalusia

The Romans conquered Carmona in the 3rd century BC. (Image: Getty)

The items were likely part of a funerary "trousseau" - a collection of personal goods that would accompany the deceased to the afterlife. In ancient Rome, death marked a transition to the afterlife, and dead relatives had to be properly prepared for the journey. This tomb probably housed a wealthy family, and is located next to what used to be a major road that connected Carmona with Seville, known as Hispalis in Roman times.

Researchers know that the Romans prohibited women from drinking wine, which was considered a "man's drink" - the urn shows how these divisions extended even into the afterlife.

The wine found in the Carmona urn narrowly beats The Speyer Wine Bottle to the title of world's oldest wine - another Roman wine dating to 325 CE and discovered in a tomb near Speyer, Germany.