[A Roman orbital implant?].

During an excavation in Regensburg/Germany the skeleton of an approximately 20-year-old Roman man was found who was buried in the 3rd/4th century after Christ. A "stone" was found which fitted into the left orbit precisely. After a thorough investigation of the "stone" and with the ophthalmohistorical literature in mind an orbital "implant" as well as a petrified medical paste ("Kollyrium") could be ruled out almost with certainty. Possibly the "stone" served another medical purpose or was used for protection of the eye.