ABSTRACT

Remains of corroded diatoms were found on one strand of hair from the relics of Holy Mary-Magdalene. It was initially hypothesized that they could be tracers of her living environment, the cave of La Sainte-Baume reputed to be the place of her thirty-year retreat before she died. To validate this assumption, ten samples collected in the cave of La Sainte-Baume from moist parietal surfaces and pool waters were investigated. Some biological remnants were found in the samples. No evidence of the presence of the diatom species from the hair in the cave’s environment led to reject this hypothesis.

The highly corroded status of the hair diatoms, their likely paleo-origin together with their association with mineral and organic material, rather argue for cosmetic use of diatom-rich material, such as cleaning clays traditionally used in the Mediterranean region and Africa for hair care.

抽象的

在圣玛丽-抹大拉的遗物的一根头发上发现了被腐蚀的硅藻残骸。最初假设它们可能是她生活环境的追踪者，La Sainte-Baume的洞穴据说是她去世30年后的住所。为了验证这一假设，调查了在La Sainte-Baume洞穴中从潮湿的顶壁表面和水池水中收集的十个样品。样本中发现了一些生物残留物。没有证据表明洞穴环境中的头发中存在硅藻物种，因此无法拒绝这种假设。

硅藻的高度腐蚀状态，它们可能的古起源以及与矿物和有机材料的结合，而主张使用富含硅藻的材料进行化妆品使用，例如清洁地中海地区和非洲传统上用于护发的粘土。