Ancient Roman Medical Practice Revealed Through 1,900-Year-Old Vial
Archaeologists have made a remarkable discovery that sheds new light on ancient Roman medical practices. A 1,900-year-old vial, unearthed from a tomb in the historic city of Pergamon, has been found to contain human faeces blended with thyme, providing the first direct physical evidence of faecal-based remedies in Greco-Roman antiquity.
Unusual Contents of a Roman Unguentarium
The small glass vessel, known as an unguentarium and typically used for storing perfumes, oils, or medicines, was discovered sealed with clay in a tomb located in what is now western Turkey. Researchers from Sivas Cumhuriyet University, led by archaeologist Cenker Atila, conducted detailed analysis of the dark brown flakes found inside the container.
Using advanced gas chromatography–mass spectrometry techniques, the team identified two specific organic compounds within the residue: coprostanol and 24-ethylcoprostanol. These substances are well-established biomarkers associated with faecal matter, with the ratio between them strongly suggesting a human origin rather than animal.
Therapeutic Blending with Aromatic Herbs
Alongside the faecal material, researchers detected carvacrol, an aromatic compound commonly found in herbs such as thyme. This discovery aligns with historical records indicating that ancient physicians often blended foul-smelling treatments with aromatic substances to make them more palatable for patients.
The consistent identification of these stanols strongly indicates that the unguentarium originally contained faecal material, the researchers noted in their paper published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports on 19 January. By integrating archaeometric analysis with historical and philological research, the study reframes Roman unguentaria as vehicles not only for cosmetics, but also for socially managed therapeutic substances.
Historical Context and Medical Significance
Pergamon was a significant centre of Roman medicine during the second and third centuries AD, closely associated with the influential physician Galen whose writings shaped European medical practice for centuries. Classical sources describe various remedies based on human and animal excrement used to treat numerous ailments including:
- Infections and inflammation
- Reproductive disorders
- Various other medical conditions
Galen himself wrote about the therapeutic value of a child's faeces, provided the child followed a specific diet. However, until this discovery, there had been little physical evidence confirming that such remedies were actually prepared and administered rather than merely being theoretical concepts.
Surprising Discovery During Research
For Dr. Rana Babaç Çelebi, a medical historian and clinical aromatherapist who worked on the research team, the findings came as a particular surprise. She had initially been searching for evidence of Roman perfumes when the analysis revealed the unexpected medicinal contents.
As the analyses progressed and the results emerged, encountering a formulation I knew from ancient medical texts reflected so precisely in the chemical residues recovered from the vessel was an experience difficult to put into words, she explained. Especially from the perspective of a medical historian, this provides remarkable physical confirmation of practices previously known only from written sources.
Broader Implications for Archaeological Understanding
The researchers emphasize that this discovery offers the first direct chemical evidence for the medicinal use of faecal matter in Greco-Roman antiquity. It demonstrates that such remedies were not merely theoretical concepts described in medical texts but were actively prepared and used in practical medical treatment.
The findings contribute critical empirical support for the pharmacological use of excrement in antiquity, the study authors wrote. This study offers important insights into how ancient societies managed and utilized materials that modern sensibilities might find surprising or distasteful, revealing sophisticated approaches to therapeutic substances.
The research continues to examine other vessels from the Bergama Museum collection, potentially uncovering further evidence of ancient medical practices that challenge contemporary assumptions about historical healthcare approaches.
