Look What They Found in a London Ditch!
The ancient Romans must have had soft, beautiful, and fashionably pale skin.
In July 2003, archaeologists who were excavating the site of a major Roman temple in London made an astounding find: a sealed box containing a white cream that still bears the finger marks of the person who last used it. And that would have been nearly 2,000 years ago. The find was considered of major significance because the original contents were still in such good condition.
Fast forward 16 months: Scientists have analyzed the tin and found that the white cream is so sophisticated it could rival today's top cosmetics. "It is quite a complicated little mixture," Richard Evershed, an analytical chemist at the University of Bristol in southwestern England, told Reuters. "Perhaps they didn't understand the chemistry of everything, but they obviously knew what they were doing."
The chemical analysis of the cream shows it is made from about 40 percent animal fat, likely from sheep or cattle, and 40 percent starch and tin oxide. The creamy base is formed by the fat, while the opaque white color comes from the tin oxide. "As far as I can tell, the tin oxide was quite inert so it wouldn't cause any dermatological problems," Evershed explained to Reuters. When the Bristol University scientists concocted their own version of the Roman cream, they said it left a smooth, powdery texture when rubbed into the skin.
The tiny pot--it's just 2.4 inches across by 2 inches high--was discovered in a waterlogged ditch, but was preserved under wooden planks in thick layers of mud. It's thought that the cream was probably used by fashionable Roman women who desired a fair complexion, which was quite popular in those days.
"We're speculating that it would have been some sort of foundation cream," Evershed told Reuters. "It gives us yet another insight into the sophisticated way in which our ancestors used materials from their environment. This is an ancient technology and one that doesn't differ so much from some of the cosmetic technologies in use today."
The dig just two miles south of London has revealed several other treasures, including a stone tablet that bears the earliest known inscription of the Roman name for London. Also found were pieces of statues, leather shoes, and a wooden writing tablet. The temple, which dates from 50 AD, contains two small temples, a guest hours, plinths for statues and a stone pillar.
The study findings were reported in the journal Nature.
__________________________
Dont underestimate us, that would be a mistake. In war there is no second chances, and every mistake is a victory for your opponent.
-Former New Players' Forum Moderator
-Veteran of Shadow Industries
-Forever the Leader of The Maxwell Brigade
|
sure are 3065, sure are 
