Researchers from the Max Planck Institute and the Russian Academy of Sciences have identified the oldest known use of cannabis for psychoactive purposes. The evidence was uncovered in a 2,800-year-old Scythian burial site located at the Tunnug 1 mound in Siberia.
560 parts per billion: The chemical signature in Scythian hair
To determine if the cannabis found at the site was used for more than just fiber or oil, scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology employed mass spectrometry on braided hair samples. According to the report, the analysis revealed an average cannabinol content of 560 parts per billion, which equates to 0.56 micrograms per gram of hair.
This specific chemical concentration provides definitive proof that the individuals interred at the Tunnug 1 site had absorbed psychoactive compounds into their systems. The presence of these residues in the hair suggests that cannabis consumption was a biological reality for these ancient nomads, rather than the plant simply being present in the environment.
The 1,481 cannabis seeds of the Tunnug 1 burial mound
The scale of the botanical evidence suggests a highly organized ritual rather than accidental contamination. excavators recovered 243 whole cannabis seeds from within the burial chamber, alongside 722 complete and 516 fragmentary seeds from the surrounding soil, totaling 1,481 seed remnants.
As the report says, the plant assemblage was almost entirely composed of cannabis, with very few other wild seed types present. This overwhelming concentration indicates that the Scythian community assigned a specific, deliberate ceremonial significance to the plant during their funerary rites.
Horse sacrifices and the 8th century BCE Eurasian steppe
The timing of these rituals is anchored by radiocarbon dating of six cannabis seeds found in the log coffins of individuals identified as skeleton 135 and skeleton 139. This dating places the burial events in the first decade of the eighth century BCE, a period that aligns with the construction of the broader funerary complex in Eastern Scythia.
The ritual landscape of the Tunnug 1 site was further characterized by the presence of at least five clusters of horse bones surrounding the primary skeletons. this practice of horse sacrifice echoes accounts written by the ancient historian Herodotus and suggests a cultural link between the Scythians and early horse-riding cultures in Mongolia, highlighting the role of Inner Asia in early transcontinental cultural exchanges.
The missing link between East Asian seeds and Scythian ritulas
While the evidence of use is clear, the exact method of administration remains an open question. The source does not specify whether the Scythians ingested the plant, inhaled smoke, or used it topically to achieve the documented mind-altering effects.
Furthermore, there is a significant geographical gap to reconcile; while domesticated cannabis likely originated in East Asia roughly 6,000 years ago for oil production, the transition to psychoactive use among the Scythians in Siberia represents a distinct cultural shift. It remains unclear if the Scythians developed these psychoactive rituals independently or if the knowledge migrated westward alongside the plant itself.
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