First chemical evidence of royal purple as a material used for funeral treatment discovered in a Gallo–Roman burial (Naintré, France, third century AD) - Archive ouverte HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry Année : 2011

First chemical evidence of royal purple as a material used for funeral treatment discovered in a Gallo–Roman burial (Naintré, France, third century AD)

Résumé

Violet–purple residues collected from a Gallo–Roman burial dated back to the second half of the third century A.D. and excavated at Naintré (France) were chemically investigated by multi-analytical methodology involving the use of Raman spectroscopy, direct exposure-mass spectrometry (DE-MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC–UV–visible). Little is known about funeral treatment and rituals during Roman times. Retrieving valuable information on these by chemical analysis of organic residues was thus a key aspect of this work. Analyses demonstrated the presence of the very precious purple colorant obtained from shellfish glands commonly known as Tyrian or royal purple and its exceptional preservation. Chemical investigation and archaeological evidence have shown that purple was widely spread after the deposition of the body for burial. These results are the earliest chemical evidence of purple colorant used during funeral rituals (not as textile dye) and enabled us to highlight new aspects of funeral practices in Roman times.

Dates et versions

hal-02194074 , version 1 (25-07-2019)

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Thibaut Deviese, Erika Ribechini, Pietro Baraldi, Bernard Farago-Szekeres, Henri Duday, et al.. First chemical evidence of royal purple as a material used for funeral treatment discovered in a Gallo–Roman burial (Naintré, France, third century AD). Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 2011, 401, pp.1739. ⟨10.1007/s00216-011-5217-7⟩. ⟨hal-02194074⟩
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