Virgil quote found on fragment of Roman jar unearthed in Spain

Excerpt from the Georgics was carved into vessel used for olive oil 1,800 years ago

A tiny fragment of a Roman jar that once held olive oil produced in what is now southern Spain has left archaeologists delighted, puzzled and “saucer-eyed” after they deciphered a quote from the ancient poet Virgil that was cut into its clay by an unknown hand 1,800 years ago.

The highly unusual find, thought to be the first time a literary quotation has been discovered on a Roman amphora, was turned up by researchers from the universities of Córdoba, Seville and Montpellier who were excavating a site in the town of Hornachuelos, in Andalucía’s Córdoba province, seven years ago.