An upcoming study is set to unveil significant discoveries from an ancient animal bone that was apparently used to transport seeds from a plant known for its medicinal, hallucinogenic, and potentially lethal properties.
Believed to be around 2,000 years old, the femur bone, which is thought to have belonged to either a sheep or a goat, was meticulously hollowed out to accommodate black henbane seeds. The findings of the study, which will be published in the April edition of the journal Antiquity, shed light on the intentional use of this highly toxic plant, despite its medicinal and psychoactive qualities.
The use of henbane can be traced back to the time when the Romans occupied the Netherlands, with macrofossils of the plant being discovered at various archaeological sites. The study suggests that the plant's psychoactive properties were recognized and exploited by ancient people.
Lead study author Maaike Groot expressed the uniqueness of the discovery, stating, "The find is unique and provides unmistakable proof for the intentional use of black henbane seeds in the Roman Netherlands."
What sets this recent discovery apart is the deliberate design of the container housing the plant's seeds. The femur bone was hollowed on one side and intentionally sealed on the other to prevent the seeds from escaping. This suggests that it may be the earliest known method of potentially illicit drug trafficking.
Unfortunately, due to the passage of time, it is impossible to fully comprehend the social significance of black henbane during that era. However, author and naturalist Pliny the Elder described the seeds of the plant as causing "insanity and giddiness," implying that they were not used for recreational purposes. Nevertheless, the true nature of their use remains a subject of speculation.
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