Is this the oldest honey in the world? Scientists say yes

For decades, there was a sticky residue in bronze jars found in ancient Greek shrines.

Is it beeswax, animal fat or something? Now, a new chemical analysis reveals what may be the oldest honey ever, which will return to a sacred underground room in Paestum, Italy for about 2,500 years. The survey results were held on July 30 Journal of the American Chemical Societyproving that this mysterious substance has molecular fingerprints with modern honey, royal jelly and beeswax, pointing to long-lost products that have been placed before the gods.

A bronze jar that fixes the secret

As early as 1954, archaeologists unearthed a 6th-century BC shrine in southern Italy. Inside the chamber is an iron bed surrounded by bronze jars, sealed with cork and filled with paste residue. The arrangement of the shrine implies a divine dedication. But over the next 30 years, three scientific attempts to identify the substance were insufficient, concluding that some kind of fat or oil was contaminated with pollen and insect debris.

In 2019, when one of the jars was on display at the Ashmolaya Museum in Oxford, researchers seized the opportunity to reanalyze its content using advanced mass spectrometry and protein analysis. result? Convincing evidence suggests that this substance was once honey or at least a honeycomb, with the gods as a symbol of the gods.

Modern tools unlock ancient chemistry

A team led by Luciana da Costa Carvalho and James McCullagh of Oxford University used a variety of force analysis methods combining gas chromatography, spectroscopy and proteomics. They focus on samples taken from the depths of the residue to avoid contamination.

• The samples showed nearly the same chemical characteristics as modern honey and beeswax.
• Hexose sugar found in honey is present at high levels.
• Royal Jelly Protein is Western Bee (Apis Melliferaidentified in residues).
• The sugar degradation product was found to be preserved in a layer where residues interact chemically with the copper tank.

“The ancient residues are not only traces of what people eat or provide to the gods, but also complex chemical ecosystems,” Da Costa Carvalho said in a statement. “Studying them reveals how these substances change over time.”

Confirmation of long-term delays

Why did early research miss honey? One reason is that these tests focus mainly on lipids and fats, using techniques that cannot detect sugar degradation products or trace proteins. Today, more sensitive instruments, such as high-resolution mass spectrometers and ion chromatography systems, can find biomarkers even in buried downgraded samples.

The researchers also detected the major royal jelly proteins – MRJP-1, MRJP-2 and MRJP-3, produced only by Honeybees and secreted into honey and larval foods. These proteins have never been recovered from ancient archaeological residues.

Ceremony, Chemistry and Time

Honey has spiritual significance in the ancient world. In Greek mythology, bees raise the baby Zeus, and honey is believed to promote wisdom and eternal life. The shrine that found this honey was probably built for the now forgotten gods. But its sacred purpose still echoes thanks to a layer of brown paste and tools of modern science.

“This work shows how far archaeological science has gone,” the author said. He argues that hypothesis-driven biomolecular analysis may be the key to unlocking many other residual mysteries in the global museum collection.

What about the sticky substance itself? It may not be sweet anymore, but it still has a story to tell – a hand that begins with an ancient beekeeper and ends with the whispers of the gods.

Journal Information

Magazine: Journal of the American Chemical Society

doi: 10.1021/jacs.5C04888

Article title: Symbols of Eternal Life: Evidence of Honey found in Paestum Shrine in 530-510 B.C.

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