keeps in relief. A drug compound Roman ( right ) was found in the box "Pyxis."
Giachi G. et al., PNAS Early Edition (2013)
medicinal tablets taken from a wrecked 00 year suggest that the classical Mediterranean civilizations had drugs sophisticated.
Around 130 B.C.E. a merchant ship sank off the coast of Tuscany region of Italy. The wreckage was spotted in 1974 and dubbed the Relitto del Pozzino after the beach near where he was found. Archaeological excavations in 1989 and 190 gave glass bowls, amphorae for wine transport, lamps and tin and bronze vases all likely to come from the eastern Mediterranean.
There was also likely artifacts contained in a wooden box that had rotted, wood bottles, possibly a cup used for bleeding, and other objects that may have been found in a medical bag a former doctor. Among them was a small tin cylinder known at the time as "Pyxis" which contained five tablets that were about 4 cm in diameter and had been preserved elements with a tight lid. Italian scientists have recently analyzed fragments of a tablet and is mainly two materials rich in zinc (hydrozincite and smithsonite) and various residues of animals and plants, pollen, beeswax and resin pine. In an article published online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , scientists say the writings of Pliny the Elder, Roman, and Dioscorides, a Greek, both recognized by classicists for their writings on medicinal materials, say these zinc compounds were once thought beneficial to the eyes and skin. And they note that the Latin word for eye drops drops , derives from a Greek word meaning "buns."
"This is a fascinating document of a very interesting set of new discoveries, "says Richard Evershed, a chemist at the University of Bristol in the UK. He added that the chemical and microscopic analysis "seem robust, although there are aspects that I would have pursued further." It is less certain that the materials were actually used to treat eyes, but he accepts the case is reinforced by ties of classical literature.
The tablets were initially considered marine vitamin pills might take long journeys. But the researchers concluded that "the tablets were applied directly on top of the eyes," says Erika Ribechini, a chemist at the University of Pisa and a co-author of the report.
Despite persistent questions about the use of tablets, the study "provides another example of the high level of knowledge of our ancestors possessed the properties of natural materials and technologies necessary to refine and manipulate for provide improved products, "Evershed said.
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