Medicines found on Pozzino shipwreck probed for eye treatment

Six tablets, discovered in a tin box on-board an ancient Relitto del Pozzino shipwreck, found off the coast of Italy revealed that the pharmaceuticals contained animal and plant fats, pine resin and zinc compounds, the BBC reported.

In the study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers said the medicine might have been used to treat eye infections.

"Recent scientific literature documents the utilisation in Roman pharmacology of zinc compounds, especially for the preparation of powder used for the treatment of eyes diseases," Gianna Giachi from the Superintendence for the Archaeological Heritage of Tuscany was quoted as saying.

The shipwreck, on which the tablets were found, dates to 140-130 BC, and was thought to have been a trading ship sailing from Greece across the Mediterranean.

It was first discovered in 1974 off the coast of Tuscany, and explored during the 1980s and 1990s, but it is only now that the tablets have been fully investigated.

"I am surprised by the fact we have found so many ingredients and they were very well preserved considering it was under water for so much time," professor of chemistry from the University of Pisa Maria Perla Colombini.

The team found pine resin, which has antibacterial properties, animal and vegetable fats were also detected, among them possibly olive oil which is known for its use in ancient perfumes and medicinal preparations.

They also found starch, which is thought to be an ingredient in early Roman cosmetics. The team also recovered zinc compounds, which they think may have been the active ingredient in the tablets.

"The research highlights the care, even in ancient times, in the choice of the complex mixture of products in order to get the desired therapeutic effect and to help in the preparation and application of the same medicine," Giachi said.