Scholars of the Institute for Preservation of Medical Traditions and the Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics of the Smithsonian Institution have unlocked the mystery of ancient Roman pills.
The pills were discovered from a Roman shipwreck dating back to the 2nd century BC in the Gulf of Baratti off of Tuscany. although the pillls were found in the 1980s, it is only now using DNA sequencing performed by geneticist Robert Fleischer of the Smithsonian that researchers can identify what were the pills made of: the tablets contained at least carrot, radish, parsley, celery, wild onion, and cabbage, that is, simple plants to be found in the garden. There was probably also yarrow and the more exotic hibiscus, possibly introduced in the Mediterranean area from Asia.
“Medicinal plants have been identified before, but not a compound medicine, so this is really something new,” Alain Touwaide, director of the Institute for the Preservation of Medical Traditions, explained to The New American. He added, “The plants and vegetables were probably crushed with a mortar and pestle — we could still see the fibers in the tablets. They also contained clay, which even today is used to treat gastrointestinal problems.”
Significantly, all the components of the pills identified so far (be they vegetal or inorganic) can be found in the ancient medical texts that the scholars in the Institute have been locating in manuscripts preserved in collections worldwide, transcribing and digitizing, studying and databasing for decades, all activities that contribute to the Institute’s program aimed at recovering the medical heritage of the ancient Mediterranean world.
The identification of the plant components in the Roman pills is very important – the pills are the only archaeological remains of ancient medicines known so far, and their analysis is the first ever performed. Though preliminary, the results confirm the validity of the cross-disciplinary approach of the Institute, and call for new analyses leading to definitive results.
The shipwreck was discovered in 1974, and archaeological work began eight years later. Archeologists found a surgical instrument (a hook) and a mortar, which suggested that a physician was on board of the ship. Then, in 1989, they brought to light numerous remains related to the medical profession: a copper bleeding cup, a tin pitcher with a thieve, 136 boxwood vials, and tin containers. Since all this material was in a compact space, together with a locker, they were thought to have been originally packed in a chest pertaining or sent to a physciain. In one of the tin containers, archeologist discovered circular tablets (diameter 3 cm ca.), flat (thickness 5 mm.), and of green-gray color, which seemed to be medicines.
The techniques and materials of construction, together with the cargo, indicate that the ship was built ca.140-120 B.C. Its load included glass cups probably of Syro-Palestinian origin, a pitcher in Cypriot style, amphorae for wine from the Aegean island of Rhodes, lamps from Asia minor, and ceramics possibly from Pergamon and Athens. Such merchandise suggests that the ship was sailing from the eastern Mediterranean area probably on its way to Pisa or Marseille, which were the final destinations of the commercial road from the East. It sank, instead, close to the harbor of Populonia (Tuscany), which was an important stop in the maritime road between the eastern and western Mediterranean.
Dr. Touwaide also hopes that this find and the other work being done by Institute for Preservation of Medical Traditions will produce new insights into using ancient knowledge in the production of modern medicines. “We extract the information from these texts so that scientists can see if they can make shortcuts to pharmacological discoveries. We re-purpose ancient medical information and jump from the past to the future,” he explained.
Sources: Institute for Preservation of Medical Traditions, The New American
