Lavish Imperial Winery Where Roman Elites Made Wine Once A Year Discovered At The Villa Of Quintilii Near Rome

By making wine once a year at the lavish complex, Roman nobles sought to romanticise agricultural labour, which was often the source of their wealth. 

Wine has been an important part of Roman culture. A lavish imperial winery from the mid-third century AD, where Roman elites produced wine once a year, has been discovered at the Villa of the Quintilii, an ancient Roman villa located just outside the traditional boundaries of Rome, Italy.

Source : Antiquity/University of Cambridge

A lavish imperial winery from the mid-third century AD, where Roman elites produced wine once a year, has been discovered at the Villa of the Quintilii, an ancient Roman villa located just outside the traditional boundaries of Rome, Italy. Wine has been an important part of Roman culture. By making wine once a year at the lavish complex, Roman nobles sought to romanticise agricultural labour, which was often the source of their wealth. 

The newly discovered winery was built to glorify the vinicultural practice. Through the annual vintage at the complex, Roman nobles fused utilitarian function with luxury to accentuate their social and political status. 

The study describing the findings was recently published in the journal Antiquity. 

The winery provides only the second known example of wine production at an imperial facility. 

How the winery was discovered

Archaeological excavations of the site began in 2017 and 2018. According to the study, brick stamps and the building technique date the structures to the reign of Commodus, a Roman emperor who ruled from 177 to 192. While searching for an eastern tower, the first evidence of the winery was revealed. Upon further investigation, a team of researchers, led by Emlyn Dodd from the British School at Rome, discovered a large brick-built complex (43 × 25m), which, following abandonment, had been dismantled. 

The study said that at least one phase of the facility dates to the mid-third century AD. 

Features of the winery

According to the study, the complex possesses features typical of a Roman winery. These features include a grape treading area, two presses, a vat for the collection and settling of grape must, and a system of channels. The channels connect these features to a cella vinaria, or wine cellar, with dolia defossa, or sunken storage jars. The winery was profusely decorated. 

The treading area was located at the southern end of the site. Access to agricultural workers carrying baskets of grapes was probably provided by a door or window reached via external brick staircases. 

The treading areas were partially clad in red marble, which becomes very slippery when wet and is an impractical choice for workspaces where water is used. Therefore, the use of marble communicates a sense of extreme luxury of the winery, the authors said. 

According to Science Magazine, the site was equal parts theatrical stage and winery. In ancient Rome, there was a tradition that required a priest to officially open the wine harvest. The task was transferred to the emperor in later centuries. 

However, the emperor probably performed minimal work. 

According to Science Magazine, Elizabeth Fentress, an independent archaeologist who was not in bed with the research, said that the emperor probably went to the winery, performed half-an-hour of hard work, and then took a bath before attending another banquet. 

The authors concluded in the study that the elite, including the imperial court, used these visual spectacles to build their self-image within Roman culture and society.