Is Gold Yellow? Plant Dyes and Gold-Making in the Ancient Chemical Arts.

Ancient Greek colour terminology captures brightness, light, and brilliance rather than clear-cut portions of the chromatic spectrum, as scholars agree today. This also applies to the rich semantic of yellow, which we investigate starting from a philosophical and theoretical perspective. We then shift our focus to Graeco-Roman technical writings dealing with alchemical dyes, cosmetics, and other crafts that made use of the same set of ingredients and colouring substances. We compile a complete list of yellow-dyeing plants used in antiquity, which will update and enlarge the lists currently available in secondary literature on the topic, such as the seminal catalogue by Robert J. Forbes. Drawing on these data and on laboratory reconstructions, we address two main questions. First, which shades of yellow were usually associated with the colour of gold, and how were these tints produced by ancient craftsmen and alchemists? And second, how did these procedures contribute to the ancient discourse on the colour of gold and its artificial reproduction?

Vice-versa: The iron trade in the western Roman Empire between Gaul and the Mediterranean.

Starting from the second century BC, with the fast expansion of the Roman Empire, iron production and consumption developed exponentially in north-western Europe. This rapid growth naturally led to an increase in trade, that still remains to be studied encompassing a broad scope, so as to not neglect long-distance exchanges. This is today possible by taking advantage of the progress made in the past 40 years in archaeology and archaeometallurgy. Cargoes of iron bars recovered from a group of 23 wrecks located off the coast of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer (Bouches-du-Rhône, France), opposite an old branch of the Rhône River, constitute a rich opportunity to examine this trade, by comparing the slag inclusions trapped in iron bars to primary slag from the six main ironmaking areas in Gaul. Based on a trace element analysis of these inclusions and this slag, we suggest that ships travelled down the Rhône carrying iron produced in Wallonia (Belgium), while others sailed up the Rhône transporting iron produced in Montagne Noire (Aude, France).

Morphological evaluation of dental diseases in Parion chamber tomb (OM 5) Roman people / Evaluación morfológica de enfermedades dentales en la tumba de la cámara de Parion (OM 5) del pueblo romano

SUMMARY: Most of the dental diseases occur due to tooth or jaw morphology or nutritional habits. Anatomical differences in the teeth and jaws of men and women can cause different dental diseases between the sexes. In this study, 33 skeletons obtained from the excavation of the ancient city of Parion, which are dated to the late Roman period, were examined. Dental diseases and possible causes were investigated on a total of 33 skeletons. In the evaluations, it was evaluated that some diseases were caused by the difference between the sexes, while some were classified as nutritional diseases. The rates of tooth decay are different between men and women with Parion. It has been determined that the most important reason for this is the different morphological structure of the jaws and teeth, but the nutritional differences also cause this. Other dental and jaw diseases were also evaluated in the Parion population.

RESUMEN: La mayoría de las enfermedades dentales se deben a la morfología de los dientes o la mandíbula o a los hábitos nutricionales. Las diferencias anatómicas en los dientes y las mandíbulas de hombres y mujeres pueden causar diferentes enfermedades dentales entre los sexos. En este estudio, se examinaron 33 esqueletos obtenidos de la excavación de la antigua ciudad de Parion, que datan del período romano tardío. Se investigaron las enfermedades dentales y las posibles causas en un total de 33 esqueletos. En las evaluaciones, se determinó que algunas enfermedades fueron causadas por la diferencia entre los sexos, mientras que otras fueron clasificadas como enfermedades nutricionales. Además se encontraron diferentes estimaciones de caries entre hombres y mujeres. Se analizó que la razón más importante de esto es la diferencia de la estructura morfológica de los maxilares y los dientes, sin embargo las diferencias nutricionales también es un factor que se debe considerar. Se evaluaron además, otras enfermedades dentales y de la mandíbula en la población de Parion.

Morphometric analysis of accessory vessel grooves (AVG) in the skulls of the ancient spradon population: an anthropological approach / Análisis morfométrico de los surcos de vasos sanguíneos accesorios (SVA) en los cráneos de la antigua población de spradon: un enfoque antropológico

SUMMARY: Accessory vessel grooves (AVG), or accessory vessel sulcus, is the name given to grooves seen in the frontal region of the skull. In studies conducted by anthropologists on antiquity skeletons, it is seen that some variations are confused with traumas due to the unknown skeletal morphology. This situation leads to an incorrect evaluation of the socio-economic or health structure of the population. In this study, an accessory vessel grooves research was carried out on the skeletons of the late Roman-early Byzantine population. Studies were conducted on 69 adult human skeletons of known age and sex, and 3 human skeletal skulls whose sex could not be determined. Accessory vessel grooves rate was calculated as 10.54 % in the Spradon ancient population. While there is 10.52 % AVG in female individuals in the population, lower AVG levels have been detected in males compared to females with 9.67 %. There is no significant difference between male and female individuals in terms of AVG. Although the lengths of AVG differ in the right and left frontal, it can be said that there is no difference in direction. Although the relation of AVG variation with high blood pressure is included in the literature, the intense appearance of this structure in the Spradon Population, especially in young individuals, weakens this hypothesis. The literature on the existence of AVG will expand further with the studies to be carried out on ancient Anatolian populations in the following years.

RESUMEN: Surcos de los vasos accesorios (SVA), o canales de vasos accesorios, es el nombre que se les da a los surcos que se ven en la región frontal del cráneo. En los estudios realizados por antropólogos sobre esqueletos de la antigüedad, algunas variaciones se pueden confundir con traumas debido a la morfología esquelética desconocida. Esta situación conduce a una valoración incorrecta de la estructura socioeconómica o sanitaria de la población. En este estudio, se llevó a cabo una investigación de surcos de vasos sanguíneos accesorios en los esqueletos de la población romana tardía y bizantina temprana. Se realizaron estudios en 69 esqueletos humanos adultos de edad y sexo conocidos, y 3 cráneos esqueléticos humanos cuyo sexo no se pudo determinar. La tasa de surcos de vasos accesorios se calculó como 10,54 % en la población antigua de Spradon. Si bien hay un 10,52 % de SVA en las mujeres de la población, se han detectado niveles más bajos de SVA en los hombres en comparación con las mujeres en un 9,67 %. No existe una diferencia significativa entre hombres y mujeres en términos de SVA. Aunque la relación de la variación de SVA con la hipertensión arterial está incluida en la literatura, la importante advertencia de esta estructura en la población de Spradon, particularmente en sujetos jóvenes, debilita esta hipótesis. La literatura sobre la existencia de SVA se ampliará aún más con los estudios que se llevarán a cabo en las antiguas poblaciones de Anatolia en el futuro.

De la Peste Antonina a la Peste de Cipriano: alcances y consecuencias de las pestes globales en el Imperio Romano en el siglo III dC / From the Antonine Plague to the Cyprian Plague: scopes and consequences of global plagues in the Roman Empire in the 3rd century AD

Resumen El Imperio Romano sufrió entre el siglo II y III dos grandes pestes, la Peste Antonina, de la cual existe bibliografía, y la Peste de Cipriano, que es menos conocida. Como una visión de conjunto, ambas pandemias se asemejan a la crisis que en el 2020 el coronavirus está generando en muchos aspectos de la vida humana. Este artículo se centra en el impacto que la peste de Cipriano tuvo en el contexto de la crisis del siglo III; su mortalidad se estima entre 10-20% de la población en los lugares afectados y finalmente sus efectos generaron varias de las condiciones necesarias para la transición del mundo antiguo al medieval. Se trata de comprender cómo el ciclo de pestes que va desde el siglo II al siglo III cambió la fisonomía del mundo romano y que lecciones nos entrega la historia 1700 años después.

Abstract Between the 2nd and 3rd centuries the Roman Empire suffered two great plagues, the Antonine Plague, of which there is a bibliography, and the lesser known Plague of Cyprian. As an overview, both pandemics resemble the crisis that in 2020 the Coronavirus is generating in many aspects of human life. This article focuses on the impact that the Cyprian plague had in the context of the crisis of the third century, its mortality is estimated between 10-20% of the population in the affected places, finally its effects generated several of the necessary conditions for the transition from the ancient to the medieval world. It is about understanding how the cycle of plagues that went from the 2nd century to the 3rd century changed the appearance of the Roman world and what lessons history gives us 1700 years later.

The History of Wound Healing.

Since the dawn of humanity, wounds have afflicted humans, and healers have held responsibility for treating them. This article tracks the evolution of wound care from antiquity to the present, highlighting the roles of surgeons, scientists, culture, and society in the ever-changing management of traumatic and iatrogenic injuries.

Exercícios ambulatórios para uma reflexão acerca das psicologias sociais e da cidade* / Ambulatory exercises for a reflection upon social psychologies and the city / Ejercicios ambulatorios para una reflexión acerca de las psicologías sociales y urbanas

Penso a relação entre diferentes psicologias sociais e as cidades. Para tanto, caracterizo tais psicologias como manifestantes que foram às ruas em 2013 nas chamadas "jornadas de junho". Faço, a partir desse experimento ficcional, uma reflexão acerca do compromisso ético e dos desafios práticos e epistêmicos que as psicologias sociais enfrentam em diferentes campos empíricos, tais como: a luta por direitos humanos; as políticas públicas; a prática científica e acadêmica; e os movimentos sociais. Neste processo, destaca-se a cidade em sua radical heterogênese como potência de desacomodação das formações estereotipadas que assombram as práticas e as pesquisas em Psicologia Social. Por fim, este texto relaciona estas reflexões com a temática do Encontro Regional Sul da ABRAPSO de 2014, em Londrina, que foi "O clamor das ruas", problematizando a dialética rua x interioridade que é constituinte da subjetividade contemporânea, com vistas à problematização de uma dimensão comum que tem na cidade seu modo de expressão por excelência.(AU)

I think on the relation between different social psychologies and the cities. In order to do that, I figure those social psychologies as demonstrators who took the streets in the so -called June Journeys in 2013. From this fictional experiment I make a reflection about the ethical engagement and the practical and epistemic challenges faced by social psychologies in different empirical fields: human rights struggle; public policies; scientific and academy practices; and social movements. By doing so, the city in its radical hetero engenderment is highlighted as a potential inconvenience to the stereotyped formations that haunts Social Psychology in praxis and research. By the end, this text relates those reflections with the theme from de Regional South Encounter of ABRAPSO in 2014, at Londrina, "The claim from the streets", questioning the dialectics street x interior which is constitutive of the contemporary subjectivity, in order to analyse a common dimension which has in the city its expression par excellence.(AU)

Pienso acerca de la relación de las distintas psicologías sociales y las ciudades. En este objetivo caracterizo estas distintas psicologías sociales como manifestantes que salieron a las calles en las llamadas "días de junio" en 2013. Pienso en la relación entre diferentes psicologías sociales y ciudades. Con este fin, caracterizo tales psicologías como manifestantes que salieron a las calles en 2013 en los llamados "viajes de junio". A partir de este experimento ficticio, reflexiono sobre el compromiso ético y los desafíos prácticos y epistémicos que enfrentan las psicologías sociales en diferentes campos empíricos, tales como: la lucha por los derechos humanos; políticas públicas; práctica científica y académica; y movimientos sociales. En este proceso, la ciudad se destaca en su heterogénesis radical como un poder desencadenante de formaciones estereotipadas que persiguen las prácticas e investigaciones de la Psicología Social. Finalmente, este texto relaciona estas reflexiones con el tema de la Reunión Regional del Sur ABRAPSO 2014 en Londrina, que fue "El clamor de las calles", problematizando la dialéctica calle x interioridad que es un componente de la subjetividad contemporánea, con miras a problematizar una dimensión común que tiene en la ciudad su modo de expresión por excelencia.(AU)

Cataract couching and the goat's eye.

At the start of the third century, a story told by Claudius Aelianus, Leonidas of Alexandria and pseudo-Galen held that couching originated when a goat with cataract punctured its eye with a thorn. The significance of this story is unknown. We reviewed Graeco-Roman texts to identify the relevance of the goat to the eye. In the works of Hippocrates, Aristotle and Galen, the goat's eye was an eye with intermediate brightness or colour. A dark brown eye with a black pupil was healthy and required no treatment. A bright glaukos eye, with extensive corneal edema or scarring, was not amenable to couching. An eye with a white cataract behind an undilated pupil would appear to have an intermediate brightness and was potentially amenable to couching. The origin myth probably arose when an instructor explained that couching works best for a goat's eye, that is, an eye with intermediate brightness.

Latitude, urbanization, age, and sex as risk factors for vitamin D deficiency disease in the Roman Empire.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of the study are to investigate the effects of latitude, settlement type, age, and sex on the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency disease in the Roman Empire using human skeletal remains from cemetery sites (1st to 6th cent. AD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from 2,787 individuals (1,143 subadults, 1,644 adults) from 18 cemeteries associated with 15 different settlements in the Mediterranean and north-western Europe were analyzed. Vitamin D deficiency disease (rickets, osteomalacia) was identified using standard paleopathological criteria. Multivariate statistical analysis was used analyze the effects of the variables of interest on the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of rickets in subadults (<20 years) was 5.7%, and 3.2% of adults showed osteomalacia and/or residual rickets. There was a positive association between rickets in subadults and latitude, with numerous cases of rickets among infants. There was no general association with sex or settlement type, although an elevated prevalence of rickets was observed at a cemetery associated with a settlement (Ostia, Italy), which had multi-storey buildings. DISCUSSION: The association of rickets with latitude may reflect care practices that, in more northerly locations where solar radiation is less intense, placed infants at increased risk of insufficient sunlight exposure to permit adequate vitamin D biosynthesis. The elevated level of vitamin D deficiency at Ostia may reflect, at least in part, the lack of sunlight due to dense occupation of multi-storey blocks that prevented direct sunlight from reaching living quarters and the streets between these closely spaced buildings.

Paleopathological evidence of paranasal lesions: Two cases of frontal sinus osteomata from Imperial Rome.

The archaeological excavations carried out in 1999 in the Collatina necropolis of the Roman Imperial Age (1st-3rd centuries AD) (Rome, Italy) discovered the skeletal remains of two adult males with evidence of paranasal lesions. Both individuals showed postmortem damage in the frontal bone, through which it was possible to macroscopically detect an oblong new bone formation. In both specimens, radiological examination of the defects' morphology showed new pediculated-based bone formations. Radiology also confirmed the presence of benign osseous masses arising from the right frontal sinus and interpreted as osteomata. Their dimensions did not exceed 10 mm, so that mechanical complications and compression of the adjacent structures could be ruled out. The osteomata of paranasal sinuses are rarely reported in paleopathology, since they can be discovered only incidental to bone breakage or radiography. Hence, the evaluation of their occurrence in past populations represents an important challenge. The two cases presented here show direct and rare evidence of frontal sinus osteomata dating back to the Roman Imperial Age.

Searching for neurological diseases in the Julio-Claudian dynasty of the Roman Empire / À procura de doenças neurológicas na dinastia Júlio-Claudiana do Império Romano

ABSTRACT The gens Julia was one of the oldest families in ancient Rome, whose members reached the highest positions of power. They made history because Julius Caesar, perpetual dictator, great-uncle of the first emperor, Augustus, passed his name on to the Julio-Claudian dynasty with the emperors Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero. Descriptions of the diseases of these emperors and some of his family members may indicate diagnoses such as epilepsy, dystonia, dementia, encephalitis, neurosyphilis, peripheral neuropathies, dyslexia, migraine and sleep disorders. In the historical context of ancient Rome, the possibility of infectious diseases related to the libertine way of life is quite large. However, there is a possibility that some of these diseases occurred from genetic transmission.

RESUMO A gens Iulia era uma das mais antigas famílias da Roma Antiga, com membros que chegaram aos mais altos cargos. Ficaram na história por causa de Julius Caesar, ditador perpétuo, pai adotivo do primeiro imperador Augustus, por meio de quem seu nome passou para a dinastia Julio-Claudian com os imperadores Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius e Nero. Descrições de doenças desses imperadores e de alguns de seus familiares podem nos remeter a diagnósticos como epilepsia, distonia, demência, encefalites, neurossífilis, neuropatias periféricas, dislexia, migrânea e distúrbios do sono. No contexto histórico da Roma antiga, a possibilidade de doenças infecciosas e relacionadas ao modo de vida libertino é bastante grande. Entretanto, existe a possibilidade de que algumas dessas doenças tenham ocorrido por transmissão genética.

Intestinal parasites from the 2nd-5th century AD latrine in the Roman Baths at Sagalassos (Turkey).

The aim of this research was to determine the species of intestinal parasite present in a Roman Imperial period population in Asia Minor, and to use this information to improve our understanding of health in the eastern Mediterranean region in Roman times. We analyzed five samples from the latrines of the Roman bath complex at Sagalassos, Turkey. Fecal biomarker analysis using 5ß-stanols has indicated the feces were of human origin. The eggs of roundworm (Ascaris) were identified in all five samples using microscopy, and the cysts of the protozoan Giardia duodenalis (which causes dysentery) were identified multiple times in one sample using ELISA. The positive G. duodenalis result at Sagalassos is particularly important as it represents the earliest reliable evidence for this parasite in the Old World (i.e. outside the Americas). As both these species of parasite are spread through the contamination of food and water by fecal material, their presence implies that Roman sanitation technologies such as latrines and public baths did not break the cycle of reinfection in this population. We then discuss the evidence for roundworm in the writings of the Roman physician Galen, who came from Pergamon, another town in western Asia Minor.

Pathfinders in oncology from ancient times to the end of the Middle Ages.

This commentary highlights the onset and progression of the diagnosis and treatment of cancer from ancient times to the 15th century. During the preparation of this synoptic review of the lives and contributions to oncology of 7 ancient physicians, it became clear that despite separation by centuries, ethnicity, and religion, they had many things in common. For example, with the exception of Chauliac, all were born into wealthy families, had an excellent education in the liberal arts and sciences, and were mentored by outstanding teachers. After they became physicians, they traveled extensively, were polyglots, were sponsored by influential individuals, had inquisitive minds, searched for the true nature of diseases, and were proud to share the results of their observations with others. Except for Galen, all of them were kind and well-mannered individuals. They cared with sincere dedication for the poor and those who had untreatable disease, including cancer. Although their understanding of cancer was limited, they were deeply concerned about the neglect and hopelessness of cancer patients. They were aware of their shortcomings in offering effective treatment beyond the surgical excision of early cancers. For advanced cancers, they had nothing to give beyond palliative care with herbals and minerals. All physicians who care for cancer patients owe these pioneer physicians, whatever their shortcomings, an inexpressible debt for their attempts to cure cancer. Cancer 2016;122:1638-46. © 2016 American Cancer Society.

"It may not cure you, it may not save your life, but it will help you".

In the modern world, we are experiencing an epidemiological shift represented by the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases relative to that of acute diseases: more people are living longer, with more diseases, than ever before in human history. How are we to understand and to respond to this change? A study of provision of cancer treatment in Western Australia, especially among Indigenous populations, can illuminate ways in which healthcare providers and societies might better understand the treatment of chronic disease: healthcare providers should take care to appreciate patient perspectives and beliefs about disease aetiology and treatment. Consideration of treatment of disease in the ancient Graeco-Roman world supports the view that effective healing and maintenance of patient wellbeing occurs when healers communicate clearly with their patients about disease and treatment progression, and when healers are open-minded about patients' utilisation of multiple treatment modalities.

Doctors and baldness: a five thousand year old challenge.

The history of trichology follows a thread that continually intersects with that of the history of medicine in general. Even Hippocrates believed that the approach to baldness should be of a medical nature. This confrontation between doctors and hair loss, which has lasted for five thousand years, begins with the invocations of the head physicians in the Egyptian era and ends with the recent institution of postgraduate Master's degrees at Faculties of Medicine and Surgery. The biggest names in medicine concerned themselves with trichology beginning with Hippocrates, who dealt with the topic in his most famous work: the Aphorisms. Even the most celebrated doctors of the Roman era, such as Galen and Pliny the Elder, did not disdain considering hair loss, leaving important scientific contributions before passing on the baton to their distinguished colleagues of the Byzantine Empire. The narrative then flows through the most prestigious institutions of the Middle Ages, such as the Salerno School of Medicine and the Siena Accademia del Fisiocritici where, at the end of the 1600s, the distinguished anatomical describer Marcello Malpighi also taught trichology, and left his contribution to "Hair Science" with a fine description of the hair follicle in the pages of his Opera Posthuma. At the turn of the late Middle Ages and the early modern era, barbers formed the primordial nucleus of surgery and at the same time became the ones to concern themselves with hair loss. In the 1800s, several doctors published the first texts dealing with the anatomy and physiology of the hair and taking into account the principal forms of alopecia, but at the therapeutic level did not yet propose anything scientifically valid. Until a few decades ago trichology still lent itself to various commercial speculations. It was not until the twentieth century that the pathogenetic mechanisms of baldness were clarified in a scientific manner. With this knowledge, the pharmaceutical industry has been able, then, to develop the necessary drugs, and doctors have become willing and able to reappropriate treatments to counteract conditions that lead to hair loss.