Archaeological Discovery Confirms Romans Used Human Feces as Medicine
Archaeologists have made a startling discovery that challenges modern perceptions of ancient medical practices. A small glass vial, buried for nearly two millennia, has been found to contain human feces mixed with thyme, providing the first physical evidence that Romans deliberately used bodily waste as a treatment for illness.
Unearthing Ancient Medical Practices in Pergamon
The remarkable find comes from a tomb in Pergamon, an ancient city located in present-day Turkey that underwent significant redevelopment under Roman Emperor Trajan during the early second century. Inside the carefully preserved vial, researchers discovered brown flakes that underwent comprehensive chemical analysis. The results revealed unmistakable traces of human feces combined with aromatic compounds from thyme, offering strong evidence that bodily waste was considered a legitimate component of the Roman medical toolkit.
According to the research team, this substance was likely employed to treat various infections and inflammatory conditions. While ancient medical texts have long suggested that feces played a role in healing practices across several early civilizations, this discovery marks the first time physical archaeological evidence has confirmed that such remedies were actually prepared, stored, and presumably administered to patients.
Historical Context and Scientific Analysis
"Faecal-based pharmacological treatments are widely attested in Greco-Roman medical texts," explained lead author Dr. Cenker Atila of Turkey's Sivas Cumhuriyet University. "The use of feces as a form of treatment was known in the ancient Egyptian, Chinese, Greek, and Roman worlds, based on written sources. However, until now, there had been no archaeological evidence of this practice. The vessel's contents revealed a distinctive blend of human fecal biomarkers and aromatic compounds such as carvacrol, a major constituent of thyme oil."
Dr. Atila further noted that these findings align perfectly with classical prescriptions that combined dung with odor-masking agents to enhance patient compliance. The presence of thyme appears to have served this exact practical purpose, with researchers believing the herb was added specifically to mask the unpleasant smell, making the medicine more tolerable for patients. This detail closely matches descriptions found in numerous ancient medical writings that have survived through the centuries.
Broader Implications for Understanding Ancient Medicine
The study, which has gained attention through international media reports, adds substantial weight to long-standing historical claims that bodily substances were routinely incorporated into early medical treatments, not just in Rome but across multiple ancient cultures. Until this discovery, those claims rested almost entirely on textual evidence rather than tangible physical proof.
The research team is now examining additional glass vials and ceramic containers held in museums across Turkey to determine whether other ancient pharmaceutical samples have survived the passage of time. If more examples are found, scholars suggest it could prompt a broader reassessment of Roman medical practice, revealing how experimental, and sometimes extreme, their therapeutic approaches truly were.
Connecting Ancient and Modern Medical Concepts
While the idea of dung-based medicine may provoke modern revulsion, the researchers note that the underlying concept has not entirely disappeared from medical practice. Contemporary fecal microbiota transplants, administered in clinical settings to treat severe gut infections, serve as a reminder that substances derived from the digestive system can, under controlled conditions, have legitimate therapeutic value.
The Romans, it seems, were willing to test that idea centuries earlier, albeit in a far cruder and considerably less appealing form. This discovery not only confirms historical accounts but also highlights the continuity of certain medical concepts across millennia, even as our understanding and implementation of those concepts has evolved dramatically.
The archaeological evidence from Pergamon provides a fascinating window into the practical realities of ancient medicine, demonstrating that Roman physicians were willing to explore unconventional treatments in their quest to heal the sick, regardless of how distasteful those treatments might seem to modern sensibilities.
