Chemical Analysis @museum.de

M: Weird pots buried in cellars. That was how the search for evidence began. It led to the ancient custom of burying the afterbirth. In some pots, scientists even found traces of an organic substance. Several chemical analyses followed, which supported the theory that these were afterbirth burials.

F: The first analysis took place back in 1986, when haemoglobin, or red blood pigment, was detected. Haemoglobin makes up about 90 per cent of our red blood cells. It consists largely of iron and is what gives the blood its typical red colour.

M: A second study, carried out in 1989, discovered oestrogen, the female sex hormone. It's mainly produced in the ovaries and controls the menstrual cycle and the maturation of the ovae.

F: The final chemical analysis took place in 2009. This time, estradiol was detected. As the embryo develops, this hormone supports sexual differentiation, for example, and ensures the formation of the female sex organs. That provided scientific proof that the pots contained placenta.