New evidence suggests that various narcotic herbs were used on the Spanish island of Menorca probably around 3,000 years ago. The research team came to this conclusion after analyzing hair samples found in a ritual box found in a closed chamber inside a burial cave.

what is known

Es Carritx Cave in Menorca was used about 3,600 years ago and served as a ritual and burial site for 800 years. Inside the cave, there is a burial chamber where the remains of 210 people are kept.

Archaeologists have discovered a cache of hair-filled containers hidden in a chamber deep inside the cave. The hair was dyed red before being placed in the vein. There were other items in the hideout: a knife, a hairpin, a comb, a wooden bowl, and a spatula.

Around 800 BC, the population of the Balearic Islands had undergone a transformation in their social structure. Archaeological evidence shows demographic growth, the abandonment of burial sites, and a slight decrease in off-island contacts. In this context, it is possible that some people, unwilling to renounce ancient traditions, hid a collection of ritual objects belonging to some members of the community, perhaps shamans, in the cave of Es Carritx, hoping that the old social order might be disrupted. restored in the future.
– write down the authors of the report.

Researchers from universities in Spain and Chile examined some hair samples.

• They discovered that the threads contain chemical signatures atropine, scopolamine, and ephedrine.
• The first two occur in plants of the nightshade family, for example mandrake and blekota. They can significantly alter perception and cause hallucinations, confusion, and delirium (a state of human consciousness characterized by decreased ability to focus, impaired perception and thinking).
• Ephedrine is a stimulant that can also be obtained from plants.

Researchers believe that this marks the honor of shamans, as only certain individuals have their hair cut. Perhaps the concentric circles on the containers are an attempt to draw an eye to indicate the supposed “inner vision” that accompanies the use of certain drugs.