In 1954, archaeologists discovered a hidden shrine deep underground in a Greek settlement in Paestum, southern Italy. Inside the shrine, they found a number of bronze jars arranged around an iron bed. The jar contained a waxy, fragrant paste that suggested something ancient and once liquid. The containers, sealed with cork and leaving traces on their surfaces, hold a slimy secret.
One of the Greek bronze kettles (vessels with three handles) and the mysterious remains on the right.
Driven by curiosity, the London Bee Research Society commissioned a German laboratory to investigate. The residue is insoluble in water, but a wax-like fatty substance is found in other solvents. Some plants, insects and pollen were also found, but researchers believe this is due to contamination. Some believe the outer waxy layer was added later, masking the original ingredients inside.
By 1970, people were still curious about the strange waxy paste found in these ancient jars found in Paestum. Scientists at the Central Institute of Restoration in Rome conducted solubility tests and found no traces of sugar or protein, only fatty substances such as wax and resin. This is a really tricky puzzle.
Fast forward to 1983, and another lab set out to solve the mystery. This time, analysts at the Rome Chamber of Commerce confirmed that the paste was insoluble in water and contained no traces of sugar or starch.
What did they find? Remains of animal or vegetable fats and phospholipids, these ingredients hint at something once organic and perhaps even ceremonial.
In 2019, mysterious remnants from the temple of Paestum were sent to the Ashmolean Museum for use in Pompeii's "The Last Supper" exhibition. This is not just an exhibition, but an opportunity for more in-depth scientific research. Armed with cutting-edge tools and newfound curiosity, researchers took the opportunity to reanalyze the substance's biomolecular makeup.
After decades of speculation, Oxford University researchers took another look at the 2,500-year-old waxy remains and discovered an archaeological gold mine. Using modern techniques such as mass spectrometry and small molecule component analysis, they found biomolecular evidence that the mysterious substance was once honey, likely in its original honeycomb form.
They also detected sugars, organic acids and royal jelly proteins in the molecular composition of the residue. This chemical profile is nearly identical to today’s beeswax and surprisingly similar to modern honey. This is the scientific result of combining ancient rituals with cutting-edge chemical technology.
Rather than just scratching the surface, the research team dissected it layer by layer. They used a variety of methods to gain a comprehensive understanding of the residue's molecular makeup. This allowed them to identify precisely which ones were ancient, which ones were contaminated, and which ones had decomposed over centuries.
Surface analysis using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed traces of copper corrosion tightly bound to the residue.
Interestingly, copper is naturally antimicrobial, and its presence likely protected the sugar molecules from decay—as if nature provided a protective armor to the residue.
Kelly Domoni, Heritage Science Manager at the Ashmolean Museum, explained: "In preparation for the 'The Last Supper in Pompeii' exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum in 2019, our colleagues at the Archaeological Park of Paestum and Vera generously loaned several important and high-profile artefacts, including a Greek bronze hydra from the Heron and its organic contents. We were given a rare opportunity to reanalyze these contents using the University's modern instrumentation."
During the exhibition, researchers used modern science and technology to "renovate" another 37 historical relics. Using microscopes and X-ray technology, they peered through the surface to discover the treasure stories hidden beneath the soot and scale.
They found burn marks on the bottom of some vessels. This suggests they may have been cooked on an open stove. Thick scales on the interiors of other vessels indicate that they were probably used to boil water, functioning similarly to ancient kettles.
The team not only studied artifacts but also recreated the rituals and daily lives of people in the past, proving that museum shelves hold more than just dusty artifacts. They are silent storytellers, waiting to be interpreted.
The researchers believe this work will inspire further reanalysis of legacy materials, particularly those from museum collections with limited samples and inconclusive early test results.
The research was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.