Archaeology: From Ancient Vitiviniculture to Today's Wine World
Explore archaeological sites and museums to discover how the vine and wine, a legacy of Antiquity, continue to shape our European heritage
ReadMosaics and exhibition spaces at the Gallo-Roman Museum (2020) by Patrick AgeneauIter Vitis
Long before it became an art and a heritage, wine was a foundational element of Mediterranean civilizations. From potter workshops to Gallo-Roman villas, these archaeological sites reveal how the vine, the land, and the know-how shaped ancient society.
Pall injector by UnknownIter Vitis
The Phoenicians, Greeks, Etruscans, and Romans were the great disseminators of wine culture. This living heritage is today documented by numerous archaeological sites and museums in France and Europe.
Exhibition halls of the Gallo-Roman Museum (2020) by UnknownIter Vitis
To understand this material and spiritual connection, many European archaeological sites and museums invite visitors to explore wine-producing villas and collections dedicated to vitiviniculture.
Archaeological Museum of Ensérune
Located on the heights of an oppidum (fortified settlement) overlooking the wine plain, Ensérune bears witness to Celtic and Roman occupation marked by wine culture. Amphorae, wine presses, and ceramics tell the story of the birth of a Mediterranean know-how passed down to the present day.
Archaeological Center of Montans
An ancient major production center for wine amphorae, Montans reveals the essential role of ceramics in ancient trade. Excavations have uncovered workshops, kilns, and objects that illustrate the ingenuity of wine artisans in Roman Gaul.
Narbo Via
In Narbonne, the first Roman colony in Gaul, the Narbo Via museum traces the life of a prosperous city linked to the wine trade. Mosaics, stelae, and amphorae compose an immersive narrative on the place of wine in the Roman economy and culture.
ELUSA, Villa of Séviac
In the heart of the Southwest, the ELUSA site and the Villa of Séviac illustrate the Gallo-Roman art of living. The mosaics and thermal baths reveal the refinement of an agricultural elite for whom wine symbolized wealth, sociability, and civilization.
Gallo-Roman Museum of Saint-Romain-en-Gal
Situated on the banks of the Rhône, the Saint-Romain-en-Gal museum offers a unique panorama of ancient viticulture. Presses, cellars, and mosaics reconstruct the daily life of wine artisans and the organization of Roman wine estates.
Carbonised grape seeds (Vitis vinifera). (7th century BCE (7th c. BC)) by UnknownIter Vitis
From the Mediterranean to the Rhône, these archaeological sites reveal the deep roots of wine heritage. Wine emerges as a common thread running through civilizations: a know-how, an art of living, and a legacy transmitted across the centuries.
Iter Vitis, The Paths of the Vine
REMCI Vitis is the first European Network of Museums and Interpretation Centers for the Vine and Wine. This thematic network will bring together all museums and interpretation centers that can provide a better understanding of the cultural wine heritage from antiquity to the present day.
Archaeological Museum of Ensérune
Archaeological Center of Montans
Narbovia
ELUSA, Ancient Capital
Gallo-Roman Museum of Saint-Romain-en-Gal
