Dyeing scene in the funerary chamber. Credit: Oriol Garcia i Quera, ASOME-Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
A study examining human hair strands from a burial place in Menorca, Spain, exposes that early human societies utilized plant-based hallucinogenic compounds, according to a brand-new paper in Scientific Reports. This discovery marks the first direct proof of ancient drug consumption in Europe, potentially used in ritualistic events.
Prior signs of prehistoric substance abuse in Europe have depended on indirect proof, consisting of the recognition of opium alkaloids in Bronze Age vessels, the discovery of drug plant remains in ceremonial settings, and the representation of such plants in art.
Wood bowl and spoon found in the stockpile with the human hair containers. Credit: Peter Witte, ASOME-Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Elisa Guerra-Doce and coworkers examined strands of hair from the Es Càrritx cavern in Menorca, which was initially occupied around 3,600 years ago, and contained a chamber utilized as a funeral area up until around 2,800 years back. Hairs of hair from only specific individuals were dyed red, put in wooden and horn containers decorated with concentric circles, and eliminated to a different sealed chamber further back in the cave.
Detail of a hair strand. Credit: ASOME-Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
The authors utilized Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography and High Resolution Mass Spectroscopy to evaluate for the existence of the alkaloids atropine, scopolamine, and ephedrine. The authors detected scopolamine, ephedrine, and atropine in 3 duplicated hair samples.
The authors recommend that the existence of these alkaloids might have been due to the intake of some nightshade plants, such as mandrake (Mandragora autumnalis), henbane (Hyoscyamus albus), or thorn apple (Datura stramonium), and joint pine (Ephedra fragilis). The authors recommend that these drug plants may have been used as part of ritual ceremonies performed by a shaman. The concentric circles on the wood containers might have portrayed eyes and might have been a metaphor for inner vision related to a drug-induced modified state of awareness. Due to cultural changes around 2,800 years back, the authors hypothesize that the wood containers were sealed in the cave chamber in order to maintain these ancient traditions.
Reference: “Direct evidence of using multiple drugs in Bronze Age Menorca (Western Mediterranean) from human hair analysis” by E. Guerra-Doce, C. Rihuete-Herrada, R. Micó, R. Risch, V. Lull and H. M. Niemeyer, 6 April 2023, Scientific Reports.DOI: 10.1038/ s41598-023-31064-2.
The authors discovered scopolamine, ephedrine, and atropine in 3 reproduced hair samples.
Elisa Guerra-Doce and coworkers analyzed strands of hair from the Es Càrritx cave in Menorca, which was initially occupied around 3,600 years ago, and contained a chamber used as a funeral space up until around 2,800 years ago. Hairs of hair from only particular individuals were dyed red, put in wooden and horn containers embellished with concentric circles, and got rid of to a different sealed chamber further back in the cavern. These hair strands date to around 3,000 years earlier.
