Pollen content in a II century BC remedy from the Pozzino shipwreck (Tuscany, Italy): its sources and association with the ingredients

Abstract

Six tablets, probably an ancient collyrium, were discovered in a tin pyxis recovered during the archaeological excavation of the so-called Pozzino shipwreck found in the Baratti gulf, near Piombino (Tuscany, Italy). The tablets were previously studied from a historical point of view; micro-morphological and chemical analyses were then performed to establish their composition. In addition, the tablets were subjected to pollen investigation, which revealed the occurrence of a significant amount of pollen grains. The list of pollen morphotypes is long and suggests multiple sources for the grains. Many of the morphotypes belong to Olea; many others belong to plants which display showy flowers and are commonly visited by bees, confirming the presence of a bee product already detected by the chemical analysis. The present paper focuses on the analysis of the pollen content of the medicine and offers conclusions resulting from its study. We hypothesize that the olive pollen grains were added to the tablets together with one or more ingredients, such as pollen bread and/or oleum acerbum (an oil obtained by pressing unripened drupes and which was used in antiquity for therapeutic applications).