Researchers Find First Physical Evidence of Human Feces Used in Ancient Roman Medicine

Ankara. Turkish researchers have found the first physical evidence of human feces being used in ancient Roman medicine. This discovery was published in the journal Archaeological Science: Reports. Archaeologist Senker Atilla from Sivas Cumhuriyet University found residues while researching small Roman-era glass bottles kept in the Bergama Museum.

Although residues were found in seven vessels, a conclusive result was obtained only from one bottle excavated from the city of Pergamon in the second century.

Atilla stated that the brown fragments inside the bottle were confirmed to contain human feces, high amounts of thyme, and olive oil. According to him, this mixture matches the medicine described by the famous Roman physician Galen. Galen, a physician of Greek origin, was a doctor to three emperors of the Roman Empire. His medical texts influenced for about 1,500 years. "Finding the exact treatment written by Galen was unexpected and exciting for us," Atilla said.

According to the study, ancient texts mention the use of human and animal feces as a treatment for swelling, infections, and reproductive problems. The researchers stated that such a substance was considered a powerful medicine, not disgusting, at that time. Generally, such long-necked glass bottles were used to store perfume. However, this sample appears to have been reused as medicine. Atilla suggested that thyme might have been used for its antibacterial properties and to mask the odor.

According to Atilla, this discovery shows that the concept of Fecal Transplant (transplanting feces from a healthy person to a patient), used in modern medicine, was known in ancient times. The US Food and Drug Administration has also approved two fecal transplant products to prevent recurrent intestinal infections.

Researchers consider this a significant achievement in the history of Roman medicine, as this study confirms knowledge limited to written history with archaeological evidence.