Scientists in the course of archaeological research at Villa Vagnari, located by the Basentello River, concluded that the Roman nobility was involved in large-scale wine production. The place where the villa is located was part of the Roman Empire and was connected to the capital by the main road - the Appian Way. In the 1st - 4th centuries AD, it was subordinate to the Roman emperors, who started the wine business there.
Archaeologists, during excavations, found a wine cellar in which there were amphorae buried along the neck, each with a volume of more than a thousand liters. The wine fermented in these containers. When buried, it kept the temperature that was optimal for storage and consumption. This amount of wine was most likely intended for sale.
In addition, the researchers found the remains of pipes, cuttings, fragments of tools made of lead. Smelting sites and ingots of metal indicate that lead was actively used for the needs of the villa. The toxic properties of the metal likely undermined the health of many of the slaves employed in this hazardous industry.
The villa, which belongs to one of the Roman emperors, is a unique archaeological find. The object that lends itself to such a careful study exists in almost the singular.