Tomb in Siberia reveals humans were using cannabis 2800 years ago
New Scientist · Chris Simms ·
Psychoactive compounds have been found in a hair from a Scythian tomb in Siberia, providing the earliest direct evidence of cannabis being used as a drug
Researchers excavate a burial mound containing horse and human bones along with cannabis seeds
A hair found in a 2800-year-old tomb in Siberia has yielded the earliest definitive evidence of cannabis being used as a psychoactive drug. But the history of such use is likely to go back much further.
Genomic studies suggest that the domestication of cannabis plants (Cannabis sativa) was happening in China about 12,000 years ago, with people potentially exploiting it for oil and hemp fibre. Archaeological sites with artefacts made from hemp dating to 7500 years ago have been found in China and Japan. The earliest firm evidence of the plant’s use as a drug had been chemical traces on wooden braziers in China that implied humans were “smoking” cannabis 2500 years ago as part of funeral rites.
Read the full story at New Scientist · All coverage of this story