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Did drugs fuel Viking social gatherings and make them formidable and fearless warriors? Source: ContentHub / Adobe Stock.

Viking Drug Use: From Riotous Parties to Berserker Fury

The Vikings stand as legendary figures, their exploits on the seas and battlefields shrouded in myth and mystery. Yet beyond their tales of conquest and exploration lies a lesser-known aspect of...
A leaf from the cannabis plant. Source: Kampanat/Adobe Stock

Toxicology Identifies Cannabis in the Bones of Medieval Italians

Archaeologists excavating in a 17th-century hospital crypt in Milan, Italy, recovered the skeletons of nine people. Using tools of toxicology, they have now identified “the first archaeological...
Marijuana and other plants have been used for medicinal, spiritual, and recreational purposes since time immemorial. The pictured Amazonian shaman uses ayahuasca ritualistically. Source: Ammit / Adobe Stock

Marijuana for All that Ails You: Cannabis in the Ancient World

Marijuana, also known as cannabis, has been used by humans for thousands of years for both medicinal and recreational purposes. Its versatility and effectiveness in treating a wide range of ailments...
Cannabis in China has a long history, the longest in the world, and its flowers and seeds were used for stimulation and nutrition, respectively.		Source: Aleksandr / Adobe Stock

Evidence Of Cannabis Consumption Found In Tang Warrior’s Tomb

Archaeologists in China have discovered a 1,300-year-old tomb containing big cannabis seeds that are unlike any of today’s strains. A new study has revealed that cannabis in China was not only grown...
An artist’s imaginary depiction of a pharaoh burning herbs (possibly cannabis or blue lotus) in a ritual.

A Versatile Plant: What Were the Many Uses of Cannabis in Ancient Egypt?

Cannabis is widely considered to be one of the most widespread options when it comes to medicinal herbs. However, in ancient times the plant’s popularity was far greater, and its use much more common...
Cannabis landraces in Qinghai province, central China have been determined as the forerunners of cannabis domestication. A landrace refers to domesticated, locally adapted, traditional variety of a species of animal or plant that has developed over time.                Source: Guangpeng Ren / Science Advances journal

Cannabis Domestication Began in China in 10,000 BC, Says Genetic Study

A new genetic study has revealed that cannabis domestication began in China during the early stages of the Neolithic period. In an article just published in the journal Science Advances , an...
The Female Siberian Ice Maiden Whose Legends Lives On

The Female Siberian Ice Maiden Whose Legend Lives On

Buried in permafrost soil around the 5th century AD, a 35-year-old woman was discovered in the Republic of Altai, Russia. Finding the woman helped archaeologists develop deeper understanding of the...
Researchers say priests included cannabis in their religious ceremonies in Judah 2,700 years ago. Source: Public Domain

Ancient Judahites Performed Cannabis Ceremonies on the “High-Way” to Yahweh

According to a new paper published in the journal Tel Aviv , ancient esoteric worshippers at a Judahite temple at the fortress mound in Tel Arad in Israel “likely smoked cannabis during cultic...
An opium den in 18th-century China through the eyes of a Western artist (18th Century) (Public Domain)

The Highs And Lows Of Ancient Heroin And Cocaine

For two centuries archaeologists and anthropologists have uncovered evidence of the ritual and medicinal application of mind-altering drugs which were central components in ancient human cultures...
Vikings arriving in North America at the Newfoundland site. Source: Nejron Photo / Adobe Stock.

Dispute Over Evidence Of Cannabis Use By Vikings In North America

Cannabis pollen discovered near an ancient Viking settlement in Newfoundland is generating differences in opinion as to whether or not the Vikings were smoking and eating the weed while they explored...
Wooden brazier used for recreational cannabis use. Source: Xinhua Wu / Science Advances

Ancient Chinese Death Rituals Involved Smoking Cannabis Specifically “To Get High”

Archaeological evidence gathered at the excavation of ‘eight ancient Chinese tombs’ has finally determined that people were indeed smoking cannabis 2,500 years ago, just to “ get high ”. The eight...
The 3000 year old Scythian gold ritual vessel is on action. Source: Timeline / Fair Use.

Golden Vessel Used In Scythian Drug-Fueled Rituals Is Expected to Sell for $57K At Auction

A remarkable tiny golden vessel is going on auction in London. The item comes from the nomadic Scythian culture, who once dominated the Eurasian Steppe in classical times. It is valued at 45,000 GBP...
Cannabis plant origins traced to ancient Tibet.

Research Traces Cannabis Plant Origins to the Tibetan Plateau 28 Million Years Ago

A fascinating new study published in the journal Vegetation History and Archaeobotany , on May 14, details the work of a team of researchers from the University of Vermont who present their evidence...
Fractal Cannabis Marijuana Mobius Dragon

The Indo-European Legacy of Ancient Cannabis

There are few plants that have caused upheavals in human society comparable to those centered on cannabis in modern times. Since the declaration of the ‘war on cannabis’ by American President Richard...
Canada legalizes marijuana concept.

Legalized Marijuana: Canada Comes Round to the Wisdom of Ages

In 1997, a hemp rope dating back to 26,900 BC was found in Czechoslovakia, making it the oldest known object to be associated with marijuana. Since that time, hemp has played an important role in...
A seedhead of an opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, with white latex. (Public Domain) Cylinder-seal of the "Lady" or "Queen" (Sumerian NIN) Puabi, one of the defuncts of the Royal Cemetery of Ur, c. 2600 BC. Banquet scene, typical of the Early Dynastic Period.

New Research Provides First Peek at Ancient Mesopotamian Drug Use

Medical usage? Ritual practice? Or perhaps the drugs served both purposes? Researchers are asking what the recently recovered psychoactive drug residues from ancient Mesopotamia mean. But not...
A cannabis crop

Norwegian Vikings Cultivated Cannabis

BY THORNEWS On a secluded Iron Age farm in Southern Norway, archaeological findings show that it was common to cultivate cannabis in the Viking Age . The question is how the Vikings used the fibers,...
China has a very long history of marijuana use.

High Times in Ancient China: 2,700-Year-Old Marijuana Stash Found in Shaman Grave

A 2,700-year-old stash of whole marijuana plants was uncovered in an ancient tomb in northwest China. If marijuana aged like wine, the rare “artifact” may be one of the most wanted objects for all...
Magu, Goddess of Longevity and immortal hemp maiden.

Magu: The Hemp Goddess Who Healed Ancient Asia

"Cannabis" and "criminal" are synonymous in many countries. While cannabis has been steadily weaving onto the "right" side of the law in recent years, the "high" people get from the plant is still...
Magu, Goddess of Longevity and immortal hemp maiden

Wearing it, Smoking it, or Selling it? The Hazy History of Cannabis in Ancient Korea

Cannabis. Even the word is enough to bring people closer or drive them further away. Although the topic of legalization is controversial in the USA, not all regions have felt this way. In fact, the...
Archaeologists Are Surprised to Find a 2,500-Year-Old Cannabis Burial Shroud Found in China

Archaeologists Are Surprised to Find a 2,500-Year-Old Cannabis Burial Shroud Found in China

Thirteen cannabis plants were found covering the body of a man who was buried in Turpan, China, around 2,500 years ago. This is the first time archaeologists have discovered a quantity of well-...

Reconstructing Brain Surgery as It Was Conducted Around 3,000 Years Ago

A step by step academic investigation into how Bronze Age medics conducted trepanation operations in Siberia has been conducted based on a male skull found last year in the Nefteprovod II burial...
Yamnaya skull from the Samara region colored with red ochre.

Surprising 5,000-Year-Old Cannabis Trade: Eurasian Steppe Nomads Were Earliest Pot Dealers

The nomad tribe known as the Yamnaya, who were among the founders of the European civilization, may have been the first pot dealers, archaeologists say. Moreover, they were responsible for the first...
Drugs in Ancient Cultures: A History of Drug Use and Effects

Drugs in Ancient Cultures: A History of Drug Use and Effects

The battle against drugs and drug usage rages on today and for good reason. However, with the near constant limelight that the ‘drug war’ receives today, it can seem like the most common drugs have...

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