Sifting through the grave gifts in ancient tombs can obviously be very
rewarding but finding a jar that once contained this eye balsam is quite
surprising.
It happened during recent excavations works in Aizanoi, in western Turkey . Here,
archaeologists unearthed several tombs from the 2nd and 1st
century BC and among the grave goods, they found a “lykion” which is a typical jar made to contain the precious cream.
The salve was made using a plant that was
common in Lycia
until the end of the 18th century. A similar plant is also known in India . This
makes me wonder whether Alexander
could have taken this remedy with him to India
or if it has been imported to Asia Minor by his
Macedonians on their way back home.
According to ancient sources, Romans used
this eye cream while marching through Egypt .
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