Bronze Age people consumed plant-based hallucinogens 3,000 years ago, analysis of locks of hair from a cemetery in Spain shows.
The Menorca find is the first direct evidence of ancient drug use in Europe, which may have been used as part of ritual ceremonies, the researchers say.
The researchers found scopolamine, ephedrine and atropine in three repeated hair samples.
Atropine and scopolamine occur naturally in the nightshade family and can cause delirium, hallucinations, and altered sensory perception.
Ephedrine is a stimulant derived from certain shrubs and pines that can increase arousal, alertness, and physical activity.
Write to Scientific reports Magazine, the authors say: “People have come into contact with the non-food properties of some plants since the Paleolithic period.
“The results presented here show that the Bronze Age people of Menorca ate several plants containing alkaloids (although nightshade and ephedra were not the only ones eaten).
“Interestingly, the psychoactive substances found in this study are not suitable for the relief of pain associated with serious paleopathological conditions identified in the population buried in Es Carritx Cave, such as periapical abscesses, severe caries, and arthropathy.
“Given the potential toxicity of alkaloids found in hair, their handling, use and application has been highly specialized knowledge.
“This knowledge was usually held by shamans who could control the side effects of herbal medicines with ecstasy, allowing for diagnosis or prediction.”
Scientists suspect that the presence of these substances may be due to the consumption of certain nightshade plants, such as mandrake, henbane or blackthorn, and Scots pine.
It is believed that these medicinal plants were used as part of psychedelic ceremonies performed by the shaman.
The researchers speculate that the concentric circles on the wooden containers in which the hair was found could represent eyes and could be a metaphor for inner vision associated with drug-induced altered states of consciousness.
Due to cultural changes around 2800 years ago, the authors suspect that the containers in the cave were sealed to preserve these ancient traditions.
Earlier evidence for prehistoric drug use in Europe was based on circumstantial evidence such as the discovery of opium alkaloids in Bronze Age vessels, the discovery of narcotic plant remains in ritual contexts, and the appearance of narcotic plants in artistic depictions.
Elisa Guerra-Doche of the University of Valladolid in Spain and her colleagues studied strands of hair from the Es Carritx cave in Menorca, which was first inhabited about 3,600 years ago and contained a chamber that served as a burial chamber until about 2,800 years ago.
According to preliminary data, about 210 people were buried in this room.
However, strands of hair from only certain individuals were dyed red, placed in decorated wooden and horn containers, and taken to a separate locked room further down the cave.
These strands of hair date back to about 3,000 years ago.
Source: I News
With a background in journalism and a passion for technology, I am an experienced writer and editor. As an author at 24 News Reporter, I specialize in writing about the latest news and developments within the tech industry. My work has been featured on various publications including Wired Magazine and Engadget.