Roman troopers occupying what’s now northern Bulgaria alongside the Danube River needed to cope with all method of uprisings in opposition to the empire, however at the very least they might hold their wine fairly cool. Archaeologists have found a 2,000-year-old built-in ceramic construction they imagine was used to retailer wine and perishable meals.

It is a uncommon discover and the second such “fridge” to be found at a former fortress on the archaeological website of Novae. The primary was discovered final yr: a container made from ceramic plates beneath the ground of a army barracks room. It was almost definitely used to retailer meals, primarily based on the ceramic vessels and small baked bone fragments discovered together with it, in addition to charcoal and a bowl which will have been used to burn incense to beat back bugs.

This newest discover is noteworthy as a result of it has an extra cooling component within the type of a lead pipe (related to a system of aqueducts) operating alongside one aspect. The fragments of wine-drinking vessels, bowls, and animal bones ought to assist the crew re-create the troopers’ final meal, based on crew chief Piotr Dyczek, an archaeologist on the College of Warsaw in Poland.

The fortress at Novae was based across the center of the first century CE by the VIII Augustus Legion to fortify the Roman Empire’s border alongside the Danube in opposition to barbarian invaders—most notably crushing the Thracian rebellion. It additionally served as a base for the 1st Italian Legion, established by Emperor Nero after the Roman-Parthian Battle. When Nero died, the first Italian Legion briefly fought for the eight-month emperor Vitellius, who was defeated by Vespasian’s forces. Vespasian then assigned the legion to Novae, the place it defended Rome throughout Trajan’s Dacian Wars, amongst different conflicts.

There are three identified aqueducts that equipped water to the fortress, and a civilian settlement step by step developed close by to accommodate the assorted craftsmen and tradespeople who tended to observe the Roman legion throughout its travels. Novae survived a 250 CE assault by the Goths however was destroyed by barbarian assaults within the second half of that century. The legion remained, albeit in smaller detachments, rebuilding numerous small forts and civil buildings, and paving new streets by reusing previous stone. A cathedral was constructed over the fortress within the late fifth and sixth centuries, and the city finally ceased to exist as a Roman outpost within the late sixth century.

Polish and Bulgarian archaeologists have been working to excavate the positioning for many years, step by step revealing a headquarters constructing, a hospital, baths, and a necropolis, amongst different constructions. They’ve additionally discovered wells, weaving and fishing weights, reels, glass fragments, and a easy hand mill for grinding grain (a quern). Final yr’s work yielded a number of dozen cash, almost definitely relationship from the third century CE to the beginning of Constantine the Nice’s reign within the early 4th century.

This yr noticed the excavation of the army barracks believed to be related to the VIII Augustus Legion—the oldest legion within the Imperial Roman Military and the primary to be completely stationed on the Danube border. Together with the wine fridge, Dyczek’s crew additionally discovered a 4th century CE ceramic furnace, yielding a set of wine cups. Additionally they uncovered a small pendent that includes a silver mouse and 200 different small artifacts.