New insights into the composition of historical remedies and farmaceutical formulations : the identification of natural resins and balsams by gas-chromatographic-mass spectrometric investigations

The present paper reports one of the first studies on the identification of natural resins and balsams in modern era drug formulations. Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was applied to investigate the composition of ancient remedies and pharmaceutical formulations coming from the Spezieria di Santa Maria della Scala in Rome, founded at the end of the seventeenth century by the Discalced Carmelites. The obtained results highlight the presence of complex mixtures containing resinaceous and lipidic-based compounds. Thanks to the detection of characteristic markers, it was possible to identify several natural resins, such as guaiacum resin, ladano resin and scammony resin. Balsamic and aromatic compounds characteristic of essential oils were identified as well. In addition, an anti-inflammatory ointment, composed by mixing Venetian turpentine, a Pinaceae resin and a triterpene resin exudate of a plant from South America, was found among the analysed formulations. Combining the analytical results, the historical research and the botanical composition, it was possible to formulate compositional hypotheses of this historical medicine and provided some indications about their use in health. The study of historical drugs is not only important to know the practices handed down by apothecaries in the past, but also fundamental to reconstruct historical recipes that can inspire new dermatological, cosmetic, hygienic and current curative products

Mujeres, arte y antigüedad: Rompiendo tópicos en las aulas: una propuesta del grupo de investigación ARSMAYA

In the last few years, significant advances have been made in our knowledge of women’s lives in the past. In part, these advances are the result of recent discoveries, but mostly they are due to the emergence of a new way of approaching history. We are referring to the influence of feminist theories in history, art history and archaeology, which has favoured the incorporation of the gender perspective in the research carried out inside these disciplines. However, although great steps have been made, we are still far from achieving a genuine integration of women in the study of the past. In our opinion, in order to achieve this, it is necessary to bring these new theories closer to future generations of historians. For this reason, it is essential that the academic context should promote actions in the classroom that allow the student community to find out about the results of the latest research carried out in this field. The study of images is an ideal vehicle for achieving these objectives. In this paper we share our experience of a series of seminars organized by the Arsmaya research group, dedicated to the study of women in Antiquity from an interdisciplinary perspective.En los últimos años se están produciendo significativos avances en el conocimiento de las mujeres del pasado. En parte, dichos avances son consecuencia de hallazgos producidos recientemente, pero sobre todo se deben a la irrupción de una nueva forma de hacer historia, de cómo acercarse al pasado. Nos referimos a la influencia de las teorías feministas en la historia, la historia del arte y la arqueología, que ha favorecido la incorporación de la perspectiva de género en las investigaciones llevadas a cabo en el marco de estas disciplinas. Ahora bien, aunque se han dado grandes pasos, todavía se está lejos de lograr la real integración de las mujeres en los estudios del pasado. Desde nuestro punto de vista, para conseguirlo es necesario aproximar estas nuevas teorías a las futuras generaciones de historiadoras e historiadores. Por ello, consideramos imprescindible fomentar desde nuestro ámbito académico la realización de acciones en las aulas que permitan a la comunidad estudiantil conocer los resultados de las últimas investigaciones realizadas en este campo. Y, en este sentido, el estudio de la imagen es un vehículo ideal para conseguir dichos objetivos. Así pues, a lo largo de este artículo compartimos nuestra experiencia en la realización de una serie de seminarios organizados en el seno del grupo de investigación Arsmaya, dedicado al estudio de las mujeres en la Antigüedad desde una visión interdisciplinar

Life after death : a physicochemical study of materials used by the ancient Maya in human bone ointments

Ancient Maya believed in life after death. They used to prepare dead bodies during burial ceremonies whose purpose was to celebrate the dead and to help them passing through the way from earthly life to the beyond one. Bodies preparation included coloured scented body ointment application, with a deep symbolic connotation and probably also a conservative purpose. The aim of this research was to characterize pigments and binders used by ancient Maya in the preparation of body oint ments used to paint human bones. Emblematic painted bone samples from Xcambó (Maya archaeological site located in the municipality of Dzemul, in the Mexican state of Yucatán) were investigated through a non-destructive and micro-destructive analytical techniques. Results pointed out the presence of two mainly red pigments, i.e. red ochre and cinnabar, as already observed in other Maya painted bones. The new insight of the research is the identifcation of the organic compounds used as binding media in the ointments: a mixture of vegetable drying oil (probably Chia seed oil) mixed with an aromatic compound (bitumen). This knowledge, together with that obtained in the last decades, is important to reconstruct the cultural habitat and social customs of this pre-Hispanic civilization and transfer them to today's contex

Color study of historic silks

The chemical characterization of silk textiles of historic value may be necessary to achieve a better understanding of the production processes applied, to evaluate their preservation, to detect manipulations or forgeries, and to value the combination of tradition and innovation in contemporary manufacturing techniques. The main objective of this work was to study four historical silks from the Garín collection, all of them from the 20th century, although with 19th century designs. To this end, non-invasive spectroscopic and microscopy techniques were applied in order to obtain information on the dyes used during their production and their link with those used in the silk industry in previous centuries, and to ascertain their state of conservation. Moreover, the images in LM, SEM and CM are contributing to the development of a 3D virtual loom that will favor more accessible and inclusive museography in museums specialized in the silk sector. Both the study of dyes and silk fibers and their virtual reproduction through artificial intelligence programs applied to the study of cultural heritage, by specialists from the Robotics Institute of the Universitat de València, has been developed in the framework of the SILKNOW project (https://silknow.eu/)

3D models acquisition and image processing for virtual musealization of the spezieria di Santa Maria della Scala, Rome

This study was carried out within the project 'Roma Hispana. Nuevas tecnologías aplicadas al estudio histórico, la musealización y la puesta en valor de Patrimonio Cultural español en Roma: la spezieria di Santa Maria della Scala' (Universitat de València Spain), which is funded by the Conselleria d'Innovació, Universitats, Ciència i Societat Digital of the Generalitat Valenciana (2020-2021) and authorized by the Sovrintendenza Speciale Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio (Special Superintendence of Archeology, Fine Arts and Landscape) of Rome, Italy. The spezieria di Santa Maria della Scala was the oldest apothecary in Europe managed by the order of Discalced Carmelite friars. Operating between the second half of the seventeenth century and the mid-twentieth century, over time it acquired great prestige, becoming known as the Pharmacy of the Popes. The aims of the 'Roma Hispana' project are to study, musealize and disseminate the material and immaterial cultural heritage of this historical spezieria by combining physicochemical and cultural studies, new 3D technologies, and artificial intelligence. As a case study, in this paper we report the application of a laser scanner prototype for 3D color imaging of the spezieria's sales room and use a simpler photogrammetry method to collect analogous data in the small nearby storeroom coupled to the high-power capabilities of the ENEA parallel computer facility. Digital data were collected to enable a virtual tour that provides a fully navigable, faithful, high-resolution 3D color model to render this ancient Roman apothecary accessible and usable to interested members of the public and experts in the sector (art historians, restorers, etc.). We also describe the 3D technology used to obtain threedimensional images of the cultural assets of these spaces (mostly drug containers) and its results. The ultimate aim of this study is to achieve the virtual musealization of the heritage complex

The Future We Want: a Learning Experience to Promote SDGs in Higher Education from the United Nations and University of Valencia

This article shares the strategy for mainstreaming the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the University of Valencia (UV), which, although limited in its scale, may compel other Higher Education Institutions to think in technological and social progress aligned with the 2030 Agenda. It explicates a process driven by the UV, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations (UN), and in collaboration with the Service for Geospatial, Information, and Telecommunications Technologies from the UN Support Base in Valencia (Spain) to prepare the online event: ¿The United Nations We Want¿. It was the culmination of a collaborative project between students and faculties from different scientific, technological, social, legal, humanistic, and health disciplines that structure the University of Valencia. The intention was that new generations experience the role they can have to shape the future we want, while the university community as a whole can become part of transformative institutional change that draws on both top-down and bottom-up strategies in pursuit of Education for Sustainable Development