Humans were getting high on hallucinogenic drugs around 3,000 years ago, according to a landmark study..Scientists believe it's the oldest direct example of people in Europe taking hallucinogenic drugs following research at the Es Càrritx cave on the Mediterranean island of Menorca..First published in Scientific Reports, researchers analyzed human hair from more than 200 human graves within the cave, which is believed to have served as a ritual and funerary site up until approximately 800 BC..The drugs, derived from plants and bushes, would have induced hallucinations, according to the study. Researchers believe the drugs were used as part of rituals held within the cave.. hair .Three psychoactive substances were discovered within the hair, namely atropine and scopolamine, which induce hallucinations, as well as the energy-boosting ephedrine..Furthermore, scientists also referenced the discovery of containers within the cave with spiral motifs carved into the lids; that has previously been described as an “altered states of consciousness,” further strengthening the argument that humans 3,000 years ago were indeed high..Previous claims of prehistoric drug use in Europe were based on indirect evidence, such as the appearance of drug plants in artistic depictions..“Interestingly, the psychoactive substances detected in this study are not suitable for alleviating the pain involved in severe palaeopathological conditions attested in the population buried in the cave of Es Càrritx, such as periapical abscesses, severe caries and arthropathies,” according to the report..“Considering the potential toxicity of the alkaloids found in the hair, their handling, use, and applications represented highly specialized knowledge. This knowledge was typically possessed by shamans, who were capable of controlling the side-effects of the plant drugs through an ecstasy that made diagnosis or divination possible.”.Researchers added a period of social transformation was well underway by 800 BC, leaving those reluctant to abandon their ritual traditions to leave objects within the burial grounds “in the hope that the former social order could be re-established in the future.”
Humans were getting high on hallucinogenic drugs around 3,000 years ago, according to a landmark study..Scientists believe it's the oldest direct example of people in Europe taking hallucinogenic drugs following research at the Es Càrritx cave on the Mediterranean island of Menorca..First published in Scientific Reports, researchers analyzed human hair from more than 200 human graves within the cave, which is believed to have served as a ritual and funerary site up until approximately 800 BC..The drugs, derived from plants and bushes, would have induced hallucinations, according to the study. Researchers believe the drugs were used as part of rituals held within the cave.. hair .Three psychoactive substances were discovered within the hair, namely atropine and scopolamine, which induce hallucinations, as well as the energy-boosting ephedrine..Furthermore, scientists also referenced the discovery of containers within the cave with spiral motifs carved into the lids; that has previously been described as an “altered states of consciousness,” further strengthening the argument that humans 3,000 years ago were indeed high..Previous claims of prehistoric drug use in Europe were based on indirect evidence, such as the appearance of drug plants in artistic depictions..“Interestingly, the psychoactive substances detected in this study are not suitable for alleviating the pain involved in severe palaeopathological conditions attested in the population buried in the cave of Es Càrritx, such as periapical abscesses, severe caries and arthropathies,” according to the report..“Considering the potential toxicity of the alkaloids found in the hair, their handling, use, and applications represented highly specialized knowledge. This knowledge was typically possessed by shamans, who were capable of controlling the side-effects of the plant drugs through an ecstasy that made diagnosis or divination possible.”.Researchers added a period of social transformation was well underway by 800 BC, leaving those reluctant to abandon their ritual traditions to leave objects within the burial grounds “in the hope that the former social order could be re-established in the future.”
