The recently published study doesn’t just underline the stranger side of ancient healing; it shows how modern chemistry can finally test claims that were once preserved only in writing. It also suggests some “cosmetic” vessels may need rethinking, because the lines between perfume, ointment and medicine were blurrier than we often assume.
- The Mysterious Healing Centre of Asklepion in Pergamum
- Were Asclepian Centers Powered By Magical Ritual or Holistic Healthcare?
A Roman Medical Bottle from a Famous Healing Center
The object at the center of the research is a small Roman glass unguentarium (a flask type often associated with oils and perfumes) held by the Bergama Archaeological Museum as inventory no. 4027. Researchers removed about 14.6 grams of residue from the vessel for testing.
Pergamon’s setting strengthens the interpretation. The city was closely tied to the sanctuary of Asclepius and long had a reputation for healing. The Asklepion at Pergamon became one of antiquity’s most famous healing centers, offering therapies ranging from baths and herbal remedies to dream-based diagnosis.
General view of the Sanctuary of Asclepius at Pergamon (modern Bergama, Turkey). (Bernard Gagnon/CC BY-SA 3.0)
The Smoking Gun: Fecal Biomarkers Plus Odor-masking Herbs
Using GC–MS/FID, the researchers identified coprostanol and 24-ethylcoprostanol, compounds widely treated as reliable biomarkers for fecal matter. Their ratio strongly supported a human origin.
Crucially, the residue also contained carvacrol, an aromatic compound linked with thyme/oregano-type plants. The authors interpret this as deliberate “odour masking,” echoing ancient instructions for blending strong-smelling ingredients with aromatics to improve compliance.
That mix fits a broader pattern of herbal strategies used before antibiotics. Ancient Origins has explored how earlier doctors fought infection with plant-based approaches in In a world with no antibiotics, how did doctors treat infections?, a reminder that smell, taste, and perceived potency were central to pre-modern pharmacy.
The sample obtained from the unguentarium. (C. Atila et al. 2026/Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports)
Why it Matters for Roman Medicine
The big shift here is evidential: feces-based remedies have long been known from classical authors (especially those linked with Pergamon), but this find offers physical proof that at least one such recipe was prepared and stored in a container, not just discussed in texts, comments Arkeonews.
The discovery also forces a second look at small vessels. Ancient Origins has shown how chemical analysis can overturn assumptions about Roman containers in a very different context - perfume - in The Scent of Patchouli Perfume Filled the Air in the Roman Empire. In Pergamon, the same kind of “what’s really in the bottle?” approach has revealed medicine rather than fragrance.
Top image: Roman glass vessel from Pergamon from which the evidence of feces was obtained. Source: C. Atila et al. 2026/Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
By Gary Manners
References
Altuntaş, L., 2026. Ancient Roman Doctors in Pergamon Really Used Human Feces as Medicine—Now Science Has the Proof. Available at: https://arkeonews.net/ancient-roman-doctors-in-pergamon-really-used-human-feces-as-medicine-now-science-has-the-proof/
Atila, C. 2026. Feces, fragrance and medicine: Chemical evidence of ancient therapeutics in a Roman unguentarium. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352409X26000246?via%3Dihub
Wu, M. (Mingren). n.d. Galen: A Famous Medical Researcher of Classical Antiquity. Available at: /history-famous-people/galen-famous-medical-researcher-classical-antiquity-005459
