Poisonous Beauty

A White Lead Dispenser from an Indigenous Roman-period Chamber Grave in Nijmegen

Abstract

Poisonous Beauty. A White Lead Dispenser from an Indigenous Roman-period Chamber Grave in Nijmegen

An enigmatic grave good from a wooden chamber grave in an indigenous (Batavian) Roman-period cemetery in Nij­megen (prov. Gelderland/NL) has been identified using various techniques. It is a section of a plant stem filled with cerussite (white lead), which appears to have been encased in a bronze cylinder. Additional Scanning Electron Microscope research led to a more specific determination of the vegetal part: it is a marsh plant, probably water horsetail (Equisetum fluviatile).
The thin hollow bone at one of the ends of the stem may have contained a bundle of hairs, so it could have been a slender brush. Even without such a feature, the artifact may be considered a cosmetic attribute. White lead was a well-known face whitener in the Roman world. The narrow end, however, suggests that the artifact was more likely a white eyeliner dispenser.
The artifact may have originated in Eastern Europe, as suggested by another remarkable find accompanying the cremation remains: a fibula unparalleled in Northwestern Europe. The closest known counterparts come from the eastern basin of the Danube, where Batavian auxiliaries were also stationed.