GENEVA, SWITZERLAND—According to an Associated Press report, cannabis may have been used some 2,800 years ago by the Scythians in southern Siberia. An international team of scientists discovered cannabis seeds in a monumental tomb at the Tunnug 1 archaeological site in the Uyuk Valley. Analysis of preserved hair also detected the presence of the drug. “It’s extremely rare that we have both preserved plant parts and human soft tissue with the active compounds in it in the same context,” said Gino Caspari of the University of Bern. It is not clear if the cannabis was inhaled or ingested, he added. Critics of the study state that there is not enough evidence preserved in the deceased’s hair to prove the use of cannabis, suggesting instead that traces of the drug in the hair may have simply come from proximity to it in the grave. Rather, the plant could have been used for oil and cloth making. The tomb also contained weapons, horse gear, and decorations featuring animal motifs, Caspari concluded. To read more about excavations at the site, go to “Origins of the Scythians,” one of ARCHAEOLOGY’s Top 10 Discoveries of 2024.
