During the ongoing excavations in the palace of the famous Qatna complex, the excavators noted patches of brown staining on the floor of a high status tomb. Chemical extraction revealed the presence of brominated derivatives of indigo and indirubin, and more detailed characterisation showed that it likely came from Hexaplex trunculus. In short, this was none other than the renowned Tyrian or Royal Purple mentioned by Pliny, which was to have such an influential career colouring the clothing of the powerful. Furthermore, it was associated in the tomb with ghosts of high quality textiles preserved in gypsum.

YesResinous substances were highly prized in the ancient world for use in ritual contexts. Details gleaned\ud from classical literature indicate that they played a significant role in Roman mortuary rites, in treatment\ud of the body and as offerings at the tomb. Outside of Egypt, however, where research has shown that a\ud range of plant exudates were applied as part of the mummification process, resins have rarely been\ud identified in the burial record. This is despite considerable speculation regarding their use across the\ud Roman Empire.\ud Focusing on one region, we investigated organic residues from forty-nine late Roman inhumations\ud from Britain. Using gas chromatographyemass spectrometry and the well-attested biomarker approach,\ud terpenic compounds were characterized in fourteen of the burials analysed. These results provided direct\ud chemical evidence for the presence of exudates from three different plant families: coniferous Pinaceae\ud resins, Mediterranean Pistacia spp. resins (mastic/terebinth) and exotic Boswellia spp. gum-resins\ud (frankincense/olibanum) from southern Arabia or beyond. The individuals accorded this rite had all\ud been interred with a package of procedures more elaborate than the norm.\ud These findings illuminate the multiplicity of roles played by resinous substances in Roman mortuary\ud practices in acting to disguise the odour of decomposition, aiding temporary soft-tissue preservation and\ud signifying the social status of the deceased. Nevertheless, it was their ritual function in facilitating the\ud transition to the next world that necessitated transportation to the most remote outpost of the late\ud Roman Empire, Britain.R.C.B is supported by a PhD studentship from the Art and Humanities Research Council (43019R00209)

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