Archaeologists Discovered That Ancient Iberians Used To Ingest A Toxic, Bright Red Mercury Powder 5,000 Years Ago, Presumably For Its Magical Properties
Archaeologists have found that people living in the Iberian Peninsula used to ingest mercury powder around 5,000 years ago.
The levels of mercury they found in the bones of the ancient people were extremely high, greatly surpassing modern health standards.
Between about 2900 and 2650 B.C.E., groups of women adorned in ceremonial gowns and hand-crafted jewelry would perform a ritual dance before a crowd at a Copper Age settlement called Valencina.
Then, they would inhale a bright red powder that altered their minds or drink it once it was mixed into an elixir, presumably for its magical properties.
The powder was ground from a mineral called cinnabar. The substance induced a feverish, trance-like state accompanied by tremors and delirium.
Its users may have believed they could connect with deities and predict the future of their society. However, they were unaware that the effects they experienced were caused by the toxic metal mercury.
As the tradition was practiced over the years, the poison accumulated in their bodies. Thousands of years later, archaeologists detected significantly high levels of mercury in the women’s bones, along with other members of the community.
While the women ingested the cinnabar on purpose, the other community members seemed to have consumed it unintentionally, either from working directly with the substance or from contaminants in the environment.
Today, mercury is one of the most widely banned chemicals by public health authorities across the globe.
ali – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
The medical term for chronic mercury poisoning is acrodynia, which is what the people of Valencina suffered from.
Since they endured repeated exposure to mercury, they likely experienced a series of unpleasant symptoms, such as hair loss, rashes, fatigue, memory lapses, and possibly even kidney failure.
They also would have had twitches, tremors, and issues with balance. Anyone who inhaled powders or vapors containing mercury may have also had lung problems.
“Western medicine has basically banned mercury…[like] public health enemy number one,” said Leonardo García Sanjuán, the lead author of the study and an archaeologist at the University of Seville in Spain.
“But the truth is, the history of the relationship of humans with mercury has been quite complex.”
Despite the health risks that come with mercury-rich cinnabar, the people of Valencina, along with other societies all over the world, have used it for art, beauty, medicine, and magic.
Cinnabar is typically found in volcanic regions. It is formed when mercury and sulfur are combined after fluids at extremely hot temperatures flow through cracks in the rocks, creating a vibrant red hue.
People mixed cinnabar with egg yolk or oil to make paint. The pigment was applied to graves and corpses.
Throughout the 20th century, researchers have conducted excavations at Valencina to reveal the site’s wealth of information.
The lack of structural ruins has led them to believe that Valencina functioned as a gathering place for ceremonies and funerals.
The site contained a particularly elaborate tomb that held an individual known as the Ivory Lady. The burial took place between 2900 and 2800 B.C.E.
Items like an African elephant tusk and a clay platter with traces of cannabis and wine were also unearthed.
Another stone chamber that dated to a century later housed the remains of 20 individuals, including women dressed in ornate garments and others with arthritic joints.
Both graves are considered to be exceptional. In addition, an abundance of cinnabar powder was found scattered in the graves.
Recently, it was discovered that 65 percent of the humans at Valencina had bone mercury levels that exceeded the safety threshold set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which stands at one microgram per gram of hair.
Some individuals had values that surpassed 100, and two approached the threshold of 480. Additionally, several animals displayed measurements in the double or triple digits.
Cinnabar use in Valencina declined after 250 years, but it is unclear why that is. During its peak, the site attracted people across the region to come together and socialize.
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