People used hallucinogens in Spain about 3,000 years ago, according to a new study published in the journal. Scientific reports. Scientists say hair found in an old cemetery in Menorca confirms that ancient civilizations took medicines derived from plants and shrubs.
The study claims that this may be oldest direct evidence in Europe people who use hallucinogens. According to a group of Spanish researchers led by Elisa Guerra-Doce, an archaeologist at the University of Valladolid, these substances may have caused delirium.
The remains of hair were found, in particular, in the depths of the Es Carritx cave, in Barranco de Aljandar, in the south of Menorca. They were stored inside small tubes along with bowls, combs and various bronze objects. The cave contains over 200 human graves. The indications explain that it served as a ceremonial and burial place for about 600 years, until 800 BC.
What is known about the ancient ritual of drug use in Spain?
Analysis of locks found in Spain revealed three different psychoactive substances. The researchers found atropine and scopolamine, two substances that cause hallucinations. They also found ephedrine, which increases energy and alertness in the consumer.
The hair was dyed red. It is believed that as part of the ritual, the communities that inhabited the area dyed the hair of their dead, combed it, then cut it and stored it in containers made from wood or the horns of some herbivore.
Research explains that drugs they were consumed by people with special knowledge, such as shamans. The Spanish team also found containers in the cave that were decorated with spirals carved into the lids. The report explains that this may represent an “altered state of consciousness” of a person under the influence of these substances.
Direct evidence of drug use
Evidence of use prehistoric drugs in Europe were based on circumstantial evidence. For example, drawings on psychoactive plants or remains found in containers associated with their preparation.
The substances identified in this new study did not serve to alleviate the pain of paleopathological diseases in the population buried in this area of Spain, which supports the theory of their use in rituals. The hair found was cut, unlike those used in Beethoven’s recent study. This complicated the analysis of DNA, which is concentrated in the root.
The ancient population of the Balearic Islands (including Menorca) underwent an important social transformation around 800 BC. In this context, it is believed that a group of people from the Es Carritx cave did not want to abandon the ancient traditions. For this reason, they are supposed to have hidden this collection of ritual objects, in the hope that the old social order could be restored later.
Source: Hiper Textual
