Experts believe that mercury levels in bones from humans dating back to 5,000 years have been unusually high. This is the oldest proof of mercury poisoning.
The bones, uncovered in Spain and Portugal, are from 370 individuals who lived during the Late Neolithic and Copper Age, with the highest levels of mercury found among those living in the beginning of the latter – between 2900 and 2600 BC.
A team of scientists led by the University of North Carolina Wilmington concluded the poisoning was due to exposure to cinnabar, a mercury sulfide mineral that forms naturally in thermal and volcanic areas worldwide.
The powder turns brilliant red when crushed.
The powdered form was traditionally used for pigments and as an’magic drug’.
Experts believe that mercury levels in bones from humans dating back to 5,000 years have been unusually high. This is the oldest proof of mercury poisoning.
In a study published in International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, researchers found that cinnabar was used in Iberia as a paint, pigment or medicine.
‘There is evidence for mining of the extensive ore deposits at Almadén, in central Spain, by 5300 BC.
“Its main use in Iberia as in other prehistoric cultures around the world was in rituals related to propitiation, burial and rituals, but it can also be used as body paint, an entheogen, or as a’magic’ or medicinal drug.
After the discovery of 50 graves in Spanish and Portuguese archaeological sites, 370 people were taken to this study.
The bones, uncovered in Spain and Portugal, are from 370 individuals who lived during the Late Neolithic and Copper Age, with the highest levels of mercury found among those living in the beginning of the latter – between 2900 and 2600 BC. This image depicts skeletons in an old tomb
University of North Carolina Wilmington led a team of scientists that concluded the poisoning resulted from exposure to cinnabar. Cinnabar is a mercury-sulfide minerals found in natural thermal and volcanic regions around the globe.
The exploitation of the Almadén cinnabar began in the Neolithic, 7,000 years ago, but the mineral made its way into to society at the beginning of the Copper Age.
Cinnabar was a popular product with great social value. It had a unique character, which could be described as sacred, elegant, and sumptuous.
Also, tombs built during the Copper Age had artwork made from cinnabar powder.
After the discovery of 50 graves in 22 archaeological sites throughout Spain and Portugal, 370 people were taken to this study.
Researchers believe that those who bury the dead might have accidentally inhaled the powder or consumed it, which could explain the high mercury levels in the bones.
These bones were found to contain levels up to 400 parts of every million (ppm).
The press release stated that despite the WHO’s current recommendation that hair mercury levels should be no higher than 1 or 2, the researchers found evidence of intoxication which could have adversely affected many individuals’ health.
“In fact, there are high levels in certain subjects that make it difficult to believe that cinnabar powder may have been inhaled or inhaled for ritual, symbolic, or esoteric purposes.