> Therefore, the 2019 finding in a Roman mausoleum in Carmona, southern Spain, of an ash urn roughly 2000 years old, containing a reddish liquid, was rather exceptional and unexpected. An archaeochemical study of the liquid allowed it to be deemed the oldest ancient wine conserved in the liquid state.
This is remarkable to me. What a find! Am I alone in being super, super surprised that it remained in liquid form this long? Does that suggest a very perfect seal on the urn?
Most basements had (and still have) a cooler termperature than the ground one.
In a small village of Salamanca, when the temperature outside was around 30C, inside a cellar/basement it would perfectly be at 18 or even 16C depending on the corner.
Also, being underground (or semi-underground under a separate room from the house) was an advantage on wars against pillage or further bombings.
Under the Spanish right-wing dictatorship, a lot of people had banned magazines and books well kept under/inside basement trunks, relatively hidden from the usual rooms at home, as most people would just think of a basement as a room to store old junk, ripped clothes, photos, family related letters or broken hardware. And a bunch of food, maybe.
Rural Spain's homes were built on thick walls often made from stone bricks, they isolated from both heat and cold, which can drop below 0 with ease at Winter on non-coastal zones and reach up to 40C temps at Summer.
Just three to four meters below ground level the temperature is more or less constant <10°C the year around. A root cellar with a well-insulated door and roof (sawdust is great!) is basically a fridge that requires zero power to keep cool.
Not alone, though the part that really got me was the volume - the vessel was still filled to the brim with 5 liters of liquid. Amazing job with sealing. I assume the glass composition of the urn helped prevent any adsorption.
This is remarkable to me. What a find! Am I alone in being super, super surprised that it remained in liquid form this long? Does that suggest a very perfect seal on the urn?