Raman spectroscopy of archaeological samples from the Barber-Surgeon's medicine chest on the Mary Rose

Non-destructive Raman spectroscopic analysis of the contents of the Barber-Surgeon's medicine chest from the Mary Rose, which sank in 1545, revealed some useful chemical structural information about the materials (materia medica) used for the treatment of wounds in the 16th century. This study reinforces the protocol for the Raman spectroscopic examination of important relics from archaeological excavations in conjunction with their characterisation using more destructive analytical procedures, such as XRF, GC-MS and NMR spectroscopy. Of the 19 specimens submitted for analysis, five from the medicine chest were predominantly organic and five inorganic in nature; nine either fluoresced too greatly or gave spectra of such poor quality that they could not be subjected to database correlation. The organic specimens consisted of mixtures of resins, based on terpenoids, whereas the inorganic materials gave simple spectra which could be related to sulfates, carbonates and oxides. The presence of amorphous carbon deposits in samples could be attributed to airborne soot in the ship's interior. In most samples, the presence of minerals associated with silt deposition in the wreck was noted, particularly limestone and quartz. Copyright (C) 2004 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.