Archaeologists find oldest evidence of psychoactive Cannabis use in ancient grave

An international research team led by Gino Caspari of the University of Bern identified the oldest evidence of psychoactive cannabis use in a 3,000-year-old burial site in the Republic of Tuva, southern Siberia.

The team excavated the "Tunnug 1" mound, which is one of the largest and oldest Scythian princely graves in the "Valley of Kings" region. Researchers discovered over 1,400 cannabis seeds distributed across several burial chambers near the deceased.

While cannabis can be used for fiber or oil, the team found human hair in the same chambers. They performed a chemical hair analysis, a standard forensic method, and detected cannabinol, a breakdown product of the psychoactive substance THC. This discovery confirms that the individuals actually ingested the plant into their systems. Caspari says the find suggests the plant played a role in cultural rituals rather than as a casual recreational drug.

The team found dozens of horse sacrifices and possible human sacrifices on the mound, leading to speculation that the drug may have been used to sedate victims before rituals. The seeds found were likely a wild variety, which would have been less potent than modern cultivated cannabis. The team plans to use the preserved DNA in the seeds to study how the plant evolved from a wild weed into a cultivated crop.