Cream

Using facial creams is not a modern fad. Italian archaeologists have discovered lotion that is over 2,000 years old, left almost intact in the cosmetic case of an aristocratic Etruscan woman. The discovery, which occurred four years ago in a necropolis near the Tuscan town of Chiusi, has just been made public, following chemical analysis which identified the original compounds of the ancient ointment. The team reports their findings in the Journal of Archaeological Science. Dating to the second half of second century BC, the intact tomb was found sealed by a large terracotta tile. A case found inside was filled with personal objects including a vessel of Egyptian origins. Analysis of the solid, homogeneous and pale yellow ointment revealed fatty acids in high abundance.