Gender inequality in Ancient Rome through archaeometric studies of wine in funerary contexts

This article examines how the archaeometric and archaeological analysis of funerary assemblages in Roman tombs reveals gender inequality in Ancient Rome. Through modern scientific methodologies based on techniques coupled with mass spectrometry, differentiated patterns in funerary offerings according to the sex of the deceased are identified. The role of wine is analyzed as a symbolic marker of male power, linking its production, consumption, and representation to gender and the patriarchal structures of Roman society. Through the study of literary sources, archaeological evidence, and chemical analyses, it is demonstrated that wine was not merely an economic or ritual good, but a socially codified and widespread expression of power. Emphasis is placed on the discovery of liquid wine in a Roman mausoleum unearthed in Carmona (Spain), dated to the first half of the 1st century CE, and its exclusive association with male remains, which reinforces the symbolic dimension of wine as a masculine attribute, even in death. The article combines arqueometry, funerary archaeology, written sources, and gender studies, demonstrating how gender inequalities were reproduced even in mortuary practices. • The study integrates chemistry, funerary archaeology, literary sources, and gender studies to investigate gender inequality in Ancient Rome. • Advanced scientific techniques, including mass spectrometry, reveal distinct patterns in funerary assemblages based on the sex of the deceased. • Wine is examined as a socially codified expression of masculine authority within Roman patriarchal structures. • The study demonstrates that gendered power dynamics were materially and symbolically reproduced even in death through funerary rituals.