Emily Chan
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.
