Pergamon

“Did they really do that?” is often the reaction when ancient medical texts describe treatments made from dung or human waste. A residue analysis of a Roman glass container from Pergamon (in modern Bergama, Türkiye) has now delivered the first direct chemical evidence that a medicine prepared with human feces was stored and likely used in the Roman world. 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