25 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Archaeologists Uncovered a Unique Ancient Roman Winery with Marble Tiling and Fountains of Grape Juice

Archaeologists have uncovered a unique ancient Roman winery at the luxurious Villa of the Quintilii, just to the south of Rome, Italy.

The findings, which were published on April 17 in the journal Antiquity, describe a winery in a mid-third-century CE building along the ancient Appian Way–a critical supply line for the Roman military.

The building, which dates to the middle of the third century AD and is situated along the Via Appia Antica, exhibits a level of opulence and performance that is almost never seen in an ancient manufacturing site. This fascinating complex demonstrates how affluent Romans combined luxurious decoration and theater with practical function to shape their social and political status.

The wealthy Quintilii brothers owned the large villa and served as consuls, one of the most powerful elected positions in the Roman Republic in 151 CE. Commodus, the Roman emperor, had them killed and took possession of their properties, including this villa, around 182 or 183 CE.

The villa’s luxuries, which included a massive bathing complex, statues, and colored marble tiling, had previously been documented by archaeologists. During Commodus’ reign, a circus for chariot racing was added to the villa, which was one of the villa’s lesser-known features. The first hints of the hidden winery were discovered during a 2017 and 2018 expedition to find the circus’ starting gates.

Aerial view of the excavated vineyard at the Villa of the Quintilii. Production areas are at the top (A–D), and the basement (E) with adjoining dining room (F) in the lower half of the picture.
Aerial view of the excavated vineyard at the Villa of the Quintilii. Production areas are at the top (A–D), and the basement (E) with adjoining dining room (F) in the lower half of the picture. Photo by M.C.M s.r.l and adaptation in Dodd, Frontoni, Galli 2023,

According to the study, the name Gordian is stamped into a wine-collection vat, implying that Emperor Gordian III may have built or renovated the winery between CE 238 and 244. In ancient times, the winery was situated close to Rome’s outskirts, amidst orchards, farms, opulent tombs, and the mansions of the super-wealthy like the Quintilii brothers.

Two wine presses, a space for trading grapes, two presses, and a cellar dug into the ground to store and ferment the wine in large clay jars are all standard elements of a winery at the time. However, the decoration and arrangement of these features is almost completely unparalleled in the ancient world.

Almost all the production areas are clad with marble veneer tiles. Even the tread area, usually coated with waterproof coccio pesto plaster, is covered with red breccia marble. This luxurious material, combined with its impractical properties (it is very slippery when wet, unlike plaster), conveys the extreme feeling of luxury.

Enslaved workers would stamp down the harvested grapes within the marble-lined trading areas. The crushed grapes were then transferred to two mechanical presses, and the resulting grape must be pumped into the three wine fountains. The wine must have gushed out of semicircular niches built into a courtyard wall.

The facility also included multiple luxurious dining rooms with a view of wine-filled fountains.

https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2023.18

Antiquity

Cover Photo: The dig at the Villa of the Quintilii. The cella vinaria are in the foreground and treading floor and presses are behind. S. Castellani, after Paris et al. Reference Paris, Frontoni and Galli 2019: 71

Related Articles

Stone Penis Found in Medieval Spanish ruins Had Violent Purpose

11 June 2023

11 June 2023

Archaeologists found a six-inch stone penis while excavating the Tower of Meira (Torre de Meira) in the city of Ría...

DNA from 20,000-year-old deer-tooth pendant reveals woman who wore it

4 May 2023

4 May 2023

A pendant made of a deer tooth that was exposed to DNA about 20,000 years ago has yielded clues about...

Ancient gypsum furniture was discovered in a fire temple in the ancient region of Vigol in Iran

1 June 2021

1 June 2021

Sets of gypsum furniture, including a carved table and chairs, were discovered during an archaeological dig in central Iran. According...

Skeleton Of “Spanish Monk” in Palace of Cortés Turns Out To Be An Aztec Woman

26 January 2024

26 January 2024

Recent research at the Palace of Cortés in Cuernavaca, Mexico, has revealed a grave historical error. For 50 years, it...

A Dice Game board from 5th century BC found in western Turkey’s Daskyleion

6 September 2023

6 September 2023

Archaeologists found a terracotta dice game tabla dating back to the fifth century B.C. during the excavations of the ancient...

Most important Discovery in New Zealand Archaeology: Ocean Waka

5 March 2025

5 March 2025

What began as a routine search for wood by Vincent and Nikau Dix on Rēkohu (Chatham Islands) has led to...

The free online course from the Colchester Museums and University of Reading Department of Archeology

12 July 2021

12 July 2021

The opportunity to be among the first to examine 2,000-year-old cremated remains from Roman Britain and learn about the origins...

Archaeologists Found Seal Impressions That Could Change Hittite History in Kayalıpınar

15 September 2023

15 September 2023

A seal impression belonging to Hattusili III was found during the excavations carried out near the village of Kayalıpınar in...

3500-year-old mysterious hieroglyphs discovered in Yerkapı Tunnel in Hattusa deciphered

12 October 2023

12 October 2023

Some of the Anatolian hieroglyphs discovered last year in the Yerkapı Tunnel in Hattusa, the former capital of the Hittite...

The Error That Caused II.Ramses to Lose the Battle of Kadesh

5 February 2021

5 February 2021

The Battle of Kadesh between the Hittites and Egyptians in Anatolia, the two superpowers of the Bronze Age period, has...

Will new Technology be able to Solve the Mystery in Masovia?

14 May 2021

14 May 2021

Although there are about 500 medieval tombs found in today’s Masovia and Podlasie cities, the question of who these tombs...

Salvage Excavations Started in Giresun Island on Turkey’s Black Sea Coast

18 May 2021

18 May 2021

Rescue excavations are starting again on Giresun Island, where the first examples of human settlement in the Black Sea Region...

Burial of Ascetic Monk in Chains Reveals Surprising Identity: A Woman in Byzantine Jerusalem

15 February 2025

15 February 2025

A recent archaeological discovery near Jerusalem has challenged long-held beliefs about ascetic practices in the Byzantine era, revealing the remains...

A First! This Study on Pregnancy in the Viking Age Illuminates Warrior Women and the Fate of Babies

14 May 2025

14 May 2025

A groundbreaking interdisciplinary study by Viking experts from the Universities of Nottingham and Leicester has shed new light on the...

Archaeologists Unearthed a 1000-year-old Medieval Game Collection in a Castle in Southern Germany

4 June 2024

4 June 2024

Archaeologists found a collection of medieval game pieces at a forgotten castle in southern Germany. Among the discoveries are a...