Romans Used Human Feces as Medicine With Thyme

Dark brown flakes inside a 1,900-year-old glass vial have delivered the first direct chemical proof that Roman doctors actually used human excrement as medicine — and mixed it with thyme to mask the stench. The discovery, published in January 2026, came from a Roman unguentarium (medicine container) found in ancient Pergamon — birthplace of Galen, one of antiquity's most influential physicians — and confirms texts that scholars had dismissed for centuries as impossible.

🏺 The Discovery in Bergama Museum's Storage

The story began in the storage rooms of Turkey's Bergama Museum, where archaeologist Cenker Atila from Sivas Cumhuriyet University noticed that certain glass vessels contained residues overlooked for decades. "While working in the storage of Bergama Museum, I observed that some glass vessels contained residues," Atila explained. "Residues were found in a total of seven different vessels, but only one gave definitive results." The crucial vessel was an unguentarium — a thin glass vial shaped like a candlestick, the standard container for pharmaceutical preparations throughout the Roman Empire. Dating to the 2nd century CE, it came from an era when Pergamon ranked among the most important medical centers in the Roman world. When they opened it, there was no foul odor — after nearly two millennia, the contents had dried into dark brown flakes.

The research team used gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to identify organic compounds in the dark residue. Two compounds they detected — coprostanol and 24-ethylcoprostanol — are characteristic fecal biomarkers, substances found in the digestive systems of animals that metabolize cholesterol. The ratio between these two stanols indicated human origin — not animal. "The consistent identification of stanols — validated fecal biomarkers — strongly suggests that the Roman unguentarium originally contained fecal material," the researchers wrote in their study, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science Reports.

1,900 Years old glass vial age

7 Vessels with residue — 1 definitive

Thyme Herb used to mask odor

GC-MS Chemical analysis method

🌿 Thyme: Ancient Aromatic Camouflage

The second major discovery inside the unguentarium was carvacrol — an aromatic organic compound found in essential oils of certain herbs, primarily thyme. "In this sample we detected human feces mixed with thyme," Atila explained. "Since we know the ancient written sources well, we immediately recognized this as a pharmaceutical preparation used by the famous Roman physician Galen." The use of aromatic herbs to mask odor wasn't random — ancient doctors knew their patients would refuse foul-smelling medicines, so they often added fragrant herbs, wine, or vinegar. This practice proves Roman pharmacology wasn't simple superstition — it was a system with practical solutions to real patient compliance problems.

Feces-based medicines weren't isolated phenomena in Roman healthcare. Several popular copro-therapies targeted inflammation, infections, and reproductive disorders. Galen himself described the therapeutic value of feces from children who had eaten legumes, bread, and wine — believing the "donor's" diet affected the preparation's medicinal properties. Roman doctors worked within the theory of four humors: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. Every substance — even feces — was thought to possess specific properties (hot, cold, wet, dry) that could restore the body's lost balance.

The unguentarium is a thin glass or ceramic vial used throughout the Roman world for storing perfumes, herbal extracts, and pharmaceutical preparations. Its characteristic narrow neck prevented evaporation and kept contents in good condition. They're found at archaeological sites across the Roman Empire, often in tombs or medical facilities.

⚕️ Galen and Pergamon's Medical Legacy

Identifying the preparation as a Galenic recipe isn't coincidental — Pergamon was the birthplace of Galen, the Roman Empire's most important physician after Hippocrates. Born in 129 CE as the son of a wealthy architect, Galen initially studied philosophy before turning to medicine at age 16. He studied in Pergamon, Smyrna, and finally Alexandria — the ancient world's greatest medical center. Pergamon hosted a magnificent temple to Asclepius, god of medicine, visited by important Imperial figures seeking treatment. After over a decade of study, Galen returned to Pergamon in 157 CE as chief physician to the gladiator troupe maintained by the high priest of Asia — a position that gave him invaluable surgical experience with battle wounds.

In 162 CE, the ambitious Galen moved to Rome, where he rapidly climbed the medical hierarchy through public anatomical demonstrations, treating wealthy patients other doctors had abandoned, his vast education, and rhetorical skills in public debates. He served emperors Marcus Aurelius, Commodus, and Septimius Severus. His medical legacy was enormous: roughly 300 works, 150 of which survive — texts on anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and clinical practice. He believed the body consisted of three connected systems: brain-nerves (sensation and thought), heart-arteries (vital energy), and liver-veins (nutrition and growth). His physiology dominated medicine for 1,400 years — until the 17th century, when William Harvey correctly explained blood circulation.

Copro-therapy

Feces were considered medicine with anti-inflammatory properties. Galen recommended feces from children who had eaten legumes, bread, and wine — believing diet affected therapeutic value.

Humoral Theory

Roman medicine was based on balancing four humors: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, black bile. Every substance — even feces — had properties that could restore balance.

Aromatic Herbs

Thyme, wine, and vinegar were used to mask medicine odors. Roman doctors knew patient compliance depended on taste and smell.

📜 From Text to Tangible Proof

The find marks the first time archaeological data directly confirms these medical texts. "This study provides the first direct chemical evidence for the pharmaceutical use of fecal matter in Greco-Roman antiquity," wrote researchers Atila, Demirbolat, and Celebi. "These findings align closely with recipes described by Galen and other classical authors, suggesting such medicines were applied practically — not remaining theoretical in texts." The discovery opens new paths for understanding Roman pharmacology. Many ancient pharmaceutical texts seemed impossible until recently — educated doctors using human waste as treatment defied belief. Pergamon's unguentarium proves these recipes weren't merely theoretical.

Roman medicine generally was far more sophisticated than often believed. Beyond copro-therapies, Romans developed the first military hospitals (valetudinaria), introduced strict public health measures — sewage systems, public baths, aqueducts — and created complex pharmaceutical preparations from herbs, metals, and animal products. Galen dissected Barbary apes, pigs, and sheep (never human corpses — a religious taboo) and discovered that arteries carry blood, not air as believed for 400 years. He identified 7 pairs of cranial nerves and described cardiac valves — scientific contributions of enormous value within the same thought system that recommended feces as medicine. This contradiction — sharp observation paired with practices that disgust us today — defined ancient medicine.

Roman method Feces mixed with thyme in glass vial

Modern method Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT)

Roman theory Balance of four humors (blood, phlegm, bile)

Modern theory Gut microbiome restoration

Common element Feces as therapeutic tool — 1,900 years between them

Remarkably, modern medicine has rediscovered the therapeutic value of feces — this time with scientific documentation. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is used today to treat severe intestinal infections from Clostridioides difficile, with success rates exceeding 85%. Of course, modern technique differs radically — using screened samples, encapsulated in pills or administered via colonoscopy — but the basic idea that feces contains elements with therapeutic properties proves true. Galen knew nothing about bacteria or microbiomes, but clinical observation led him to similar conclusions — with different theoretical foundations and far less controlled practice.

The study was published in January 2026 in the Journal of Archaeological Science Reports by Atila, Demirbolat, and Celebi. The discovery raises new questions: how many more unguentaria in museum storage contain similar unanalyzed residues? Pergamon, as one of the Roman Empire's top medical centers during the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE, may hide many more secrets of ancient pharmacology. Chemical analysis of archaeological residues can bridge ancient texts with actual evidence — turning a dusty storage vial into direct proof of pharmaceutical practice two millennia ago. Galen died around 216 CE at age 87. His medical theories dominated the Byzantine world, medieval Europe, and the Islamic world for over a millennium. Now a small glass vial from his homeland proves his most controversial prescriptions were real.

Roman medicine ancient pharmacy Galen Pergamon human feces medicine unguentarium thyme medical history archaeological discovery ancient Rome

Ancient Roman Doctors Mixed Human Excrement With Thyme as Medicine — Archaeological Evidence Confirms