Scientists discovered chemical traces consistent with the psychoactive compounds of cannabis in preserved human hair recovered from an ancient Siberian grave.
An international team led by Gino Caspari from the University of Bern and the Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology analyzed remains from the Tunnug 1 princely tomb in the Russian Republic of Tuva.
The burial belonged to high-ranking members of the Scythians, an equestrian culture that roamed the Eurasian steppes.
The researchers say the results provide the oldest directly dated archaeological evidence that cannabis was used for its intoxicating properties around 2,800 years ago.
Cannabis may have ritual connections
Researchers have recovered approximately 1,000 cannabis seeds from the burial chamber, which they have confirmed were planted in the early 8th century B.C. were deposited
The seeds show that cannabis played a role in the rituals surrounding burial.
However, the researchers could not confirm how they incorporated it into the ritual.
In addition, the researchers emphasized that cannabis seeds alone cannot be used to determine whether the plant was consumed for its intoxicating effects.
However, cannabis has served several purposes in the past, including as a material for oil and fiber. However, plant materials such as flowers, leaves and resins rarely survive the test of time, so they often do not appear in archaeological contexts.
To conduct further investigation, researchers analyzed preserved human hair recovered from the central burial chamber.
Using high-resolution mass spectrometry, they identified clear signals consistent with cannabinol (CBN) in several hair samples. The oxidation of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can produce CBN, the primary intoxicating compound in cannabis. In addition, according to the University of Bern, researchers discovered weaker signals that were consistent with THC based on their mass.
“This study is particularly insightful because it combines the analysis of plant remains with molecular traces in the human body,” said Caspari.
Weed-infused hair samples
The results suggest that at least some members of the ancient Siberian elite consumed weed for its intoxicating effects.
“The molecular traces in the hair and cannabis seeds … suggest that cannabis was used for its intoxicating properties,” Caspari said.
However, researchers were unable to determine how much cannabis was consumed or whether it was inhaled or ingested.
The evidence also suggests that cannabis played a role in Scythian burial rituals. The plant remains were recovered along with elaborate grave goods, including at least 18 horses arranged around the burial mound, several dozen more horse sacrifices and scattered human bones that researchers say indicate human sacrifice.
The team believes the cannabis seeds most likely came from wild plants, although it remains unclear whether they were cultivated or specifically bred to contain higher concentrations of psychoactive compounds.
The study highlighted that some wild cannabis populations across Eurasia may have naturally contained elevated levels of these compounds.
Researchers continue to study the plant remains through genetic analysis.
“We have already started sequencing some plant samples,” Caspari said. “In this case, DNA preservation is excellent. This will help us soon learn more about the history of domestication and distribution of this crop,” he added.
The results were recently published in Science.
