Ancient 'aspirin' from Bronze age discovered by archaeologists

How did our distant ancestors cope with a raging headache or the pain of an injury? Like us, they turned to science and used painkillers. So no, they didn't run to the nearest pharmacy to buy boxes of paracetamol, but they were nevertheless able to concoct medicines that did more or less the same thing. And this was as early as the Bronze Age.

Ceramic vases

The remains of these medicines were found in Eskisehir, a city in western Turkey. Archaeologists were excavating a Bronze Age site when they came across 'depas', the typical containers in which ancient painkillers were prepared and stored. According to Newsbreak:

The depas were most likely made of ceramic. Ceramic has a porous structure that was able to retain the products stored in the container. Thus, the molecular residues of the painkillers were left behind for researchers to discover many years later.

A preparation made from plants, flowers and acid

4500 years later, archaeologists were able to identify the contents of these vases. A feat made possible by technology. Professor İsmail Tarhan, who took part in the excavations, explained:

With the biochemical techniques we have, we can analyze the molecules trapped in these ceramic artifacts and interpret what is happening

According to the researchers, the depas contained remains of green leafy plants, poppies, olive oil and salicylic acid, the same components that are in modern-day aspirin.

So the next time you swallow an aspirin or paracetamol tablet to get over the effects of a hangover, a bad fall or a huge headache, be aware that this is not a modern reflex!

This article was translated from Gentsie FR.

Sources used:

Arkeonews: Remains of painkillers were found in 4500-year-old vessels during excavations at Küllüoba Höyük in Turkey

Newsbreak: Evidence of an ancient Bronze Age drug trade involving painkiller medication

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