The ecology and bioactivity of some Greco-Roman medicinal minerals: the case of Melos earth pigments

Knapp, C.W., Christidis, G.E., Venieri, D., Gounaki, I., Gibney-Vamvakari, J., Stillings, N., and Photos-Jones, E. (2021) The ecology and bioactivity of some Greco-Roman medicinal minerals: the case of Melos earth pigments. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 13(10), 166. (doi: 10.1007/s12520-021-01396-z)

Abstract

Mineral compounds, as pigments and therapeutics, appeared regularly in the technical and medical texts of the Greco-Roman (G-R) world. We have referred to them as ‘G-R medicinal minerals’ and we suggest that despite their seeming familiarity, there are actually many unknowns regarding their precise nature and/or purported pharmacological attributes. Earth pigments are part of that group. This paper presents a brief overview of our work over the past twenty years relating to: a. the attempt to locate a select number of them in the places of their origin; b. their chemical/mineralogical characterization; c. the study of their ecology via the identification of the microorganisms surrounding them; d. their testing as antibacterials against known pathogens. In the process, and to fulfil the above, we have developed a novel methodological approach which includes a range of analytical techniques used across many disciplines (mineralogy, geochemistry, DNA extraction and microbiology). This paper focuses on a select number of earth pigments deriving from the island of Melos in the SW Aegean, celebrated in antiquity for its Melian Earth, a white pigment, and asks whether they might display antibacterial activity. We demonstrate that some (but not all) yellow, green and black earth pigments do. We also show that the manner in which they were dispensed (as powders or leachates) was equally important. The results, although preliminary, are informative. Given their use since deep time, earth pigments have never lost their relevance. We suggest that the study of their ecology/mineralogy and potential bioactivity allows for a better understanding of how our perception of them, as both pigments and therapeutics, may have evolved.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: The work is part of a larger study into Greco–Roman antimicrobial minerals funded by the Wellcome Trust (Seed Award in the Humanities and Social Sciences (201676/Z/16/Z, PI: E. Photos-Jones).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Photos-Jones, Dr Effie
• Authors: Knapp, C.W., Christidis, G.E., Venieri, D., Gounaki, I., Gibney-Vamvakari, J., Stillings, N.,, and Photos-Jones, E.
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > Archaeology
• Journal Name: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences
• Publisher: Springer
• ISSN: 1866-9557
• ISSN (Online): 1866-9565
• Published Online: 17 September 2021
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2021 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 13(10): 166
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License