500-Year-Old 'Urine Flasks' Discovered at a Medical Dump Within the Forum of Caesar in Rome

At the site of an old hospital in Rome, archaeologists have found a valuable collection of items that includes "urine flasks" that were utilized by doctors to identify different illnesses.

In a recent article, titled "Disease Control and the Disposal of Infectious Materials in Renaissance Rome: Excavations in the Area of Caesar's Forum" published in Antiquity, the researchers claimed that the "assemblage" of objects, which included "glass urine flasks," indicated a historical "medical dump."

Researchers noted that these artifacts would have been "potentially infected" with pathogens, providing insight into the "urban waste-management practices" of ancient Rome.

Renaissance-era Objects Found in Caesar's Forum

Archaeologists unearthed a landfill dating back to the Renaissance era, discovered in the Forum of Caesar in Rome, containing old medical supplies, including 500-year-old medicine bottles and urine flasks.

Live Science reported that the area in which the dump was found was completed in 46 B.C. and was dedicated to Julius Caesar, but over a thousand years later, a guild of bakers used the same space to build the Ospedale dei Fornari, a hospital whose workers created the dump. The study was published on April 11 in the journal Antiquity.

Archaeologists working on the Caesar's Forum Excavation Project found a cistern filled with ceramic vessels, broken glass jars, personal items such as coins and a ceramic camel figurine, and rosary beads. Many of the objects were related to routine patient care at the Ospedale dei Fornari, with each patient receiving a "welcome basket" with a jug, drinking glass, bowl, and plate for hygiene purposes.

More than half of the glass vessels recovered from the landfill are likely matula or urine flasks, which were a central diagnostic tool for physicians during the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

The cistern also contained lead clamps associated with carbonized wood, which were historically used as a hygienic measure to prevent the spread of disease. Once full, the cistern was sealed with a layer of clay for hygienic reasons.

Although cooking or boiling glass to sterilize is now known to have benefits, people did not know the effects of sterilization during the Renaissance era. While "some kinds of glass could withstand cooking or boiling," the people of that time may not have thought in terms of sterilization, according to medical historian Monica H. Green.

Urine Flasks Used for Uroscopy

Urine flasks are the most notable among the things found in the Forum of Caesar. These urine vessels were used for uroscopy as a diagnostic tool to examine a patient's urine, the New York Post reported.

During medieval Italy, the primary way of detecting diseases was through urinalysis, a method that dates back to the time of Hippocrates in ancient Greece. The process involved pouring a patient's urine into a flask, which was then analyzed by the medical examiner for its color, opacity, smell, and even taste.

By doing this, doctors were able to detect conditions like jaundice and diabetes, which causes urine to taste sweet due to the presence of excess glucose. Thomas Willis, a 17th-century English physician, is credited with discovering this saccharine quality in urine and described it as "wonderfully sweet as if it were imbued with honey or sugar."

Despite being prohibited, the disposal of waste in cellars and cisterns was a common practice in that era, and the cistern may have been chosen as a place suitable for sealing infectious waste.