The medicinal plant garden at Kew (behind Kew Palace) is being replanted and will include a herbal medicines timeline from prehistory to modern medicine.
I have been asked to check the proposed interpretation and am finding that many archaeological records of medicinal plants are problematic, because:
- There are alternative explanations for their presence (e.g. Shanidar Cave pollen; Piloņa dental calculus)
- The records are good but could debatably be of food ingredients or psychoactive use instead (e.g. 'herbal' wines, Xinjiang tomb finds of caper, cannabis etc).
- The records only exist on the internet & not in reality (e.g. medicinal plants in Lascaux Cave paintings)
Can anyone suggest finds where it is clear, either from the identity of the plant or the archaeological context, that they are intended for treatment of illness? I am aware that many food or psychoactive plants were also considered as medicines, but here want to focus on specific treatment of illness. I found already:
- Artemisia annua L. in the Shengjindian cemetery, Xinjiang, 2400-2000 BP
- tablets from the Pozzino shipwreck, 200-100 BC & similar work on containers in the British Museum
- Barber-Surgeon's medicine chest on the Mary Rose, 1545. But no details of contents?
- Pit contents of villa rustica near Pompeii, AD 79.
Any other suggestions would be much appreciated
Thanks!
Mark
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