Archaeologists In Greece Recently Uncovered The Remains Of A Roman Era Wine Shop That Was Destroyed About 1,600 Years Ago
Around 1,600 years ago, a wine shop from the Roman era was destroyed after a “sudden event” that caused its owners to abandon it.
Now, archaeologists have uncovered the building’s remains at a site in the ancient city of Sicyon located in modern-day southern Greece.
The shop was open for business during the reign of the Roman Empire. Inside the wine shop, there were marble tabletops, 60 coins strewn about on the floor, and broken vessels created from bronze, glass, and ceramic.
The coins date back to a time when Constantius the Second ruled the empire, which lasted from 337 to 361 C.E. The latest coin was minted sometime between 355 and 361.
“The coins were all found on the floor of the [shop], scattered across the space,” said Scott Gallimore, an assistant professor of archaeology at Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada.
“This seems to indicate that they were being kept together as some type of group, whether in a ceramic vessel or some type of bag. When the [shop] was destroyed, that container appears to have fallen to the floor and scattered the coins.”
Experts can’t say for sure why the shop’s inhabitants left it behind so suddenly, but they believe the mysterious event could have been an earthquake or heavy rainfalls, causing the structure to collapse.
After the building crumbled, there were signs of people dumping debris and sediment onto its remains, but no one sifted through the waste to try to salvage anything from it.
The wine shop was found within a complex of workshops that contained areas for kilns and equipment used for pressing grapes or olives.
Katvic – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
The large complex was also abandoned in the early fifth century, possibly around the same time the event took place.
In ancient Roman culture, wine was enjoyed by both upper and lower-class communities. It was an important part of their society, playing a crucial role in everything from the economy to medicine, religion, and daily life. When the water wasn’t safe to drink, wine was the beverage they turned to.
According to the researchers, it is unclear what kind of wine was offered at the Sicyon shop. Other products besides wine may have been available for sale as well, such as olive oil.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have any direct evidence of the types of wines that may have been sold. We have some evidence of grape pips (Vitis vinifera), but we aren’t able to say anything more specific than that right now,” Gallimore said. The identities of the shop’s owners and customers also remain unknown.
Last spring, a similar find was made in the form of a third-century winery located on the outskirts of Rome. Researchers speculated that its primary purpose was to represent high status and elaborate wealth.
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