// Qian Wang / Texas A&M University College of Dentistry; rinzz / Depositphotos
A team of investigators found in northwestern China the remains with more than 2000 years of a woman with teeth dyed in red thanks to the use of cinábar, mineral composed of mercury sulfure. It is the first known case in history.
This is the first documented case in the story in which this material was used to pigment teeth, which led experts to nickname Red Princess of the Silk Route.
The discovery was made at Shengjindian cemetery, located in the Turpan basin, a key region along the silk route.
The young woman, aged Between 20 and 25 yearswas buried along with three other individuals in a grave dating from the period between 202 BC and 8 AD during the Han Dynasty.
Your skeleton presented Red pigment traces In the teeth, which immediately caught the attention of archaeologists.
To determine pigment composition, scientists used advanced analytical techniques, such as Ramoscopy, X -ray fluorescence, and Fourier -transformed infrared (FTIR).
The results confirmed that the red pigment in the woman’s teeth was Cinábrioapplied with a protein -based binding.
This discovery is unique in the history of archeologysince the cinemal had not been documented earlier for use in teeth color.
Cinábar is the most common ore of elementary mercury refining and is the historical source of the designated bright red pigment vermilion and the associated red mercury pigments.
“We don’t know if the tincture was used to aesthetic, religious or medicinal purposesbut this discovery opens a window to the complex beliefs of the old silk route civilizations, ”explains Qian Wangresearcher at Texas A&M University College of Dentistry and the main author of the study, quoted by.
Since prehistoric times, red is a color rich in symbolism in various cultures of the world. It has been associated with power, life, death, and spirituality. In China, Cinábar was used in decorations, funeral rituals And even in alchemy, because it was believed that he had magical and medicinal properties.
One of the most intriguing aspects of the discovery is the Origin of the Cinábar. The Turpan basin is not rich in this mineral, suggesting that it must have been imported from other regions.
In ancient times, the main sources of cinábar were in southwest China, in provinces such as Hunan and Sichuan, as well as in Europe, namely in the famous Mine of Almaden in Spain.
Although it has been determined that the red pigment is cinábar and was applied with a protein agglutinant, archaeologists do not know the goal exactly this practice. Was it a common custom in the region or a unique case? Did you have a ritual meaning or was it a sign of statute?
The authors of the study, which was presented in a recently published in the Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, proposed several hypotheses over why the Red Princess of the Silk Route had her teeth painted.
One of them suggests that The young woman may have been a shaman or a religious figure of high status, since cinábar was linked to spiritual beliefs in the region. It is also considered that pigment may have been applied as a sign of beauty or social distinction.
Furthermore, Despite its toxicityit is thought that cinábar was also ingested during “healing rituals to relieve the mind, prolong life And even kill evil spirits, ”say the study authors, cited by.
“Influenced by shamanic beliefs, cinábar could have served in antiquity as a psychoactive drug Due to its ability to influence consciousness and help in communicating with the gods, the researchers add.
Apparently, the case of the young red princess of the silk route with red -tiered teeth arouses more questions than answers.
