Mineralogy and Chemistry of a Roman Remedy from Judea, Israel

Abstract “Take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed” (Jeremiah, 51 :8) A rare silver tube sealed by a silver cap dating to the Late Roman period was found within the grave of a noblewoman in the Judea Mountains, Israel. The tube contains a red powder with grains from 1 to 150 μm in size, composed mainly of haematite (50%), malachite (35%) and some cassiterite (about 1%), galena (1%), kaolinite (2%) and calcite (1%). Antimony (450 ppm) was found as well. A comparison with Roman medicine books, as well as red powders of similar composition from two assemblages of Roman physicians, and the fact that a silver probe is attached to the tube, indicates that the material in the tube is a medicine.