Objects contained in museum collections and artifacts found during archaeological excavations are always of interest to the general public. Sometimes, however, these objects present researchers with deadly surprises. They can be treated with extremely strong poison or contain latent toxic substances.
Poisons have been used throughout human history. Poisonous substances could be used in order, for example, to get rid of competitors, objectionable politicians or annoying lovers (often from a legal spouse). Therefore, it is not surprising that some artifacts found during excavations can be deadly for those who interact with them.
10. Points for eliminating secret agents
The International Espionage Museum in Washington DC has a pair of very unusual glasses. As you can see in the photograph, there is a small cyanide tablet inside the tip of the bow, which, if ingested, is fatal.
If a secret agent was discovered by the enemy, and he was in danger of being interrogated, then he could, as if by accident, in thought, begin to bite the bow of his glasses. This was supposed to free the pill inside the plastic, which would lead to the quick death of the agent and the protection of classified information. This copy of the glasses belonged to the CIA, although other intelligence agencies have items with the same properties.
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9. Book of a professional killer
In 2008, a German auction house acquired an unusual 17th century book that contained many poisons. The pages of the book were cut out, instead of them there were 11 small cells, each of which was provided with a label with the name of one or another toxic plant. The book also contained a small green jar and a skeleton drawing.
The poison compartments were empty and the book had yet to be analyzed for residual toxicity, but the book was believed to have belonged to a professional killer. According to another version, the volume could have belonged to a healer (as you know, poisons in small doses are medicines). However, why would a doctor need to hide natural "medicines" so carefully?
8. Deadly bacteria
It's not exactly poison, but it's also a deadly find. In 2017, researchers found an 800-year-old skeleton in northwestern Turkey that contained bacteria. The skeleton belonged to a young girl and it had a strange anomaly - a thickening in the form of two nodules under the ribs. When they were analyzed, the researchers found that the nodules contained the bacteria Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Gardnerella vaginalis.
The bacteria probably killed the woman. Surprisingly, despite the fact that 8 centuries have passed since her death, bacteria were still dangerous.
7. Books in which they wrote with arsenic
Three books in the library collection at the Southern University of Denmark have been found to contain lethal doses of arsenic. These books, which describe various historical themes, date back to the 16th and 17th centuries. The researchers needed to disassemble and study the texts, but the green paint with which they were written faded and blurred in places.
Scientists used X-rays to make out the distorted text. The researchers found that the green paint was formulated with a lethal dose of arsenic. During the Middle Ages, arsenic was often used to create vibrant green colors before it was found to be very toxic. It is believed that the arsenic in the books could have been used to protect against damage to the volumes by rodents and insects.
6. Lethal wallpaper
Arsenic is also present in a sample wallpaper on display at the Smithsonian Design Museum in Manhattan. In the manufacture of green wallpaper until 1775, a special pigment obtained using arsenic was used for dyeing. In fact, this meant that the people who were in the rooms covered with this wallpaper were slowly poisoning themselves.
When the wallpaper reacts to moisture in the air, arsenic is gradually released in gaseous form. Usually, the children and the elderly died first, and then the rest of the family. Perhaps it is these events that lead to the emergence of myths about curses that have come true.
The museum has a sample wallpaper from 1836, and although much of it is badly damaged, the green paint is still vibrant. It is not safe to interact even with such a fragment, so the exposition is behind glass. A dark irony of fate - in many cultures green is associated with death, necromancy and the other world.
5. Dangerous fashion
Many historical items were treated with arsenic, as the substance was used to dye dresses and hats during the Victorian era. After a young woman died in 1861 after ordering artificial green flowers for her hats, doctors of the time examined the green dye. The doctor calculated that one headdress, on average, contained enough arsenic to poison 20 people.
Up to 900 micro doses of arsenic were often used to dye a ball gown. Since about 4-5 micro doses can lead to the death of an adult, this was a worrying finding. Not only those who wore clothes could die, but also their friends with whom they communicated.
The people who made the poisonous dye suffered the most. Being exposed to arsenic on a daily basis, those who worked with green clothing and accessories were often sick. The York Castle Museum has housed one of the dangerous green ball gowns. To care for the exhibit, museum workers have to wear gloves, as arsenic still covers the fabric.
4. Crazy Hats
Arsenic isn't the only thing that can make clothes dangerous. Mercury was used in the manufacture of hats and top hats, which caused severe illness among the hatters in Britain and France. Hatterters in the 18th and 19th centuries began using mercury to treat the rabbit fur used to make felt. In the process, they breathed in mercury, the vapors of which acted directly on the brain.
Mercury poisoning begins with uncontrolled shaking and drooling, then leads to loss of teeth, heart and respiratory problems. A poisoned person may develop paranoia, accompanied by hallucinations. Ultimately, death comes.
The person who wore the hat did not need to fear toxic effects, as the lining protected him from mercury. So only hatters suffered in the process of making hats. One such toxic hat is currently housed in the Toronto Clothing and Shoes Museum. Tests have confirmed that it still contains mercury.
3. Toxic clothing
In 2018, in northern Chile, a burial was discovered dating back to the period 1399-1475. It contained the mummies of two girls aged 9-18. They were dressed in luxurious bright red robes. Chemical analysis of the fabric showed that instead of using iron hematite to obtain a noble red hue, the manufacturers used cinnabar, which contains a high level of mercury.
The nearest cinnabar deposit was located more than one and a half kilometers north of present-day Lima, Peru. It should be noted that this toxic substance was very expensive, so not everyone could afford to buy it. Based on these data, the researchers came to the conclusion that the cinnabar was specially used to protect the burial from looting.
2. Poisoned arrows
Poisoning arrows with various poisons is a practice used throughout the world at one time. in 1880, the Victoria and Albert Museum in England received a collection of objects, including arrows, from the East India Company. A note with them reported that the arrows had been poisoned.
However, when scientists examined them recently, they were surprised to find that the poison involved could be active for 1,300 years, and that it could still kill someone. Similar arrows were used by the inhabitants of Burma when hunting animals. The poison with which the arrowheads were treated was obtained from the seeds and sap of some plants growing in the area. If it enters the bloodstream, it will cause paralysis, seizures, and cardiac arrest.
1. Ring of the poisoner
In 2013, a ring was discovered in Bulgaria with a miniature container inside. Of the more than 30 jewelry found, this was the only one with a secret compartment. It is believed to have been used to discreetly mix poison into a glass.
The ring dates back to the 14th century and is believed to belong to Dobrotitsa, a noble ruler and feudal lord who ruled the Dobrudzha principality in the second half of the 14th century. Perhaps this ring was the reason that many enemies and political rivals who posed a threat to the dictatorial regime of Dobrotice died under unclear circumstances.