Archaeology Magazine - September/October 2021 - 45

APPEARANCE
A
mong the Puritans who settled the Massachusetts Bay
Colony in the seventeenth century, drunkenness, excessive
tobacco consumption, and conspicuous displays of prosperity
such as extravagant dress were strictly forbidden. In a society
not given to self-indulgence, wellness could take paradoxical
forms. Harvard University archaeologist Diana DiPaolo Loren
says that Puritans may have genuinely felt at their best under
conditions of self-imposed privation, which were intended to
earn them eternal salvation. " In Puritanism, to be healthy means
to be right with God, " she says. " The threat of uncleanliness and
of the devil would have been omnipresent, so people would have
taken great care with their dress, with their comportment, and
with their surroundings. " Seventeenth-century Harvard
College students, for instance, may have been most
comfortable in the scholar robes that they wore over
plain woolen clothing, which presented a suitably
humble appearance before God.
But evidence that sometimes PuriPipe
fragment,
17th
century
tans such as those who attended Harvard
broke the rules provides a different
perspective on wellness, a kind of self-care
rooted in rebellion. The college was founded in
1636 to train Puritan clergy tasked with
ministering to the growing
colony and converting the
region's Indigenous peoples
to Christianity. Scholars as
BEAUTY
L
ike many people today, the Romans used makeup to
reduce visible signs of aging and achieve glowing
skin. Roman cosmetics ranged from homemade do-ityourself
remedies to high-end products, such as costly
saffron eye shadow, that were targeted to a wealthy
clientele. While ancient writers describe the ingredients
and formulas for some cosmetics, very few examples
of these products survive in the archaeological record.
During excavations of an ancient boundary ditch at a Roman
temple complex on the south bank of the Thames, archaeologists
unearthed votive objects that included a small round tin canister
dating to around a.d. 100 to 150. Upon opening
the lid, they were surprised to find a white
cream preserved inside the container-
complete with two finger marks on the
lid left by its last user.
Chemical analysis of the substance
revealed its three primary surviving
archaeology.org
Tin canister,
ca. a.d. 100-150
components, allowing researchers to re-create the
cream. Animal fat gave the concoction an oily texture
that moisturized the skin, explains Museum of
London curator Francis Grew, while starch produced
a powdery sheen. The third component, however,
was entirely unexpected-tin, a metal that no written
source lists as an ingredient of Roman cosmetics.
Rather than lead-based whiteners that were normally
used in Roman makeup, the creators of this product
used tin, which would have produced a similarly fair tone. " For
women in Roman society, a white complexion signified that
they didn't go outdoors or do hard work, and that they had
servants who attended to their needs, " Grew says. " Considering
the possible ritual importance of this ditch, could it be that
this was some sort of offering to the god by
way of thanks for the remarkable properties
of this cream? "
-Benjamin leonarD
Face cream,
ca. a.d. 100-150
45
Painting, ca. 1864, showing
the arrival of the Puritans in
Plymouth, Massachusetts
Pierced
farthing coin,
17th century
young as 16 came to learn scripture, mathematics, philosophy,
language, and Physick, or the art of healing,
under strict moral codes of conduct. Excavations of
Harvard Yard have unearthed thousands of tobacco
pipe fragments, indicating that students enjoyed
smoking for pleasure far beyond what was allowed for
medicinal purposes by the college's rules. Archaeologists
also uncovered a pierced farthing coin, which would have been
worn around the neck to ward off evil, a folk magic practice
forbidden by Puritan teaching. " There was a constant push and
pull between presenting yourself in public and getting by day to
day in a very inhospitable world, " says Loren.
-Marley Brown
http://www.archaeology.org
Archaeology Magazine - September/October 2021

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