“Archaeologists Unearth Treasure Trove of Medical Supplies, Including Ancient Urine Flasks, in Renaissance-Era Dump in Caesar’s Forum, Rome”

A treasure trove of old medical supplies was recently discovered by archaeologists in a Renaissance-era trash dump in the Forum of Caesar in Rome. Among the containers found were several ancient “urine flasks” used in collecting patients’ pee for testing. The 16th-century dump is believed to have come from the Ospedale dei Fornari, also known as the Bakers’ Hospital, built in the same area as Ceasar’s Forum. The archaeological discovery was made by the Caesar’s Forum Excavation Project and a paper on the subject was published in the Antiquity journal. This medical dump is evidence of the importance of hygiene in medicine during the Renaissance period, with more than half of the recovered items believed to be the remains of “matula” or ancient urine flasks used to assist uroscopy.