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‘Choicest unguents’: molecular evidence for the use of resinous plant exudates in late Roman mortuary rites in Britain
Brettell, Rhea C. Schotsmans, Eline M.J. Walton Rogers, P. Reifarth, N. Redfern, R.C. Stern, Ben Heron, Carl P.
Brettell, Rhea C.
Schotsmans, Eline M.J.
Walton Rogers, P.
Reifarth, N.
Redfern, R.C.
Stern, Ben
Heron, Carl P.
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2015-01
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© 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access
article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).
Reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy.
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2014-11-06
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Abstract
Resinous substances were highly prized in the ancient world for use in ritual contexts. Details gleaned
from classical literature indicate that they played a significant role in Roman mortuary rites, in treatment
of the body and as offerings at the tomb. Outside of Egypt, however, where research has shown that a
range of plant exudates were applied as part of the mummification process, resins have rarely been
identified in the burial record. This is despite considerable speculation regarding their use across the
Roman Empire.
Focusing on one region, we investigated organic residues from forty-nine late Roman inhumations
from Britain. Using gas chromatographyemass spectrometry and the well-attested biomarker approach,
terpenic compounds were characterized in fourteen of the burials analysed. These results provided direct
chemical evidence for the presence of exudates from three different plant families: coniferous Pinaceae
resins, Mediterranean Pistacia spp. resins (mastic/terebinth) and exotic Boswellia spp. gum-resins
(frankincense/olibanum) from southern Arabia or beyond. The individuals accorded this rite had all
been interred with a package of procedures more elaborate than the norm.
These findings illuminate the multiplicity of roles played by resinous substances in Roman mortuary
practices in acting to disguise the odour of decomposition, aiding temporary soft-tissue preservation and
signifying the social status of the deceased. Nevertheless, it was their ritual function in facilitating the
transition to the next world that necessitated transportation to the most remote outpost of the late
Roman Empire, Britain.
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Citation
Brettell RC, Schotsmans EMJ, Walton Rogers P et al. (2015) ‘Choicest unguents’:
molecular evidence for the use of resinous plant exudates in late Roman mortuary rites in Britain.
Journal of Archaeological Science. 53: 639-648.
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