Earliest traces of opium use, found in Israel, may have been an 'offering to the gods'

  • 📰 LiveScience
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 43 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 20%
  • Publisher: 51%

United States Headlines News

United States Latest News,United States Headlines

Eight out of 22 ceramic vessels contained trace amounts of the narcotic.

The earliest evidence of opium usage in the ancient world has been discovered at a burial site in central Israel that dates to around 14th century B.C., during the Late Bronze Age.

Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Weizmann Institute of Science discovered the pit tomb during an excavation in 2012. However, they found the opium-laced pottery, alongside the skeletal remains of a male who died between 40 and 50 years of age, on a return excavation in 2017, according to a study published July 2 in the journal Archaeometry .

According to a study in Nature , opium poppy was “present from at least the middle of the sixth millennium in the Mediterranean, where it possibly grew naturally and was cultivated by pioneer Neolithic communities." "There was a hypothesis in 2017 that because some of the jugs resembled poppies, that they might contain opium," Vanessa Linares, a doctoral candidate at Tel Aviv University and the study's lead author, told Live Science.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 538. in US

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Starting Lineup Is Back With Eight NBA Stars, Preorders LiveThe new era of StartingLineup is here, kicking off with an NBA wave and up for preorder now at Fanatics as we speak.
Source: bleedingcool - 🏆 20. / 69 Read more »

Eight Places to Eat While Leaf PeepingIt's time to head into the Rockies for a day of leaf peeping, so here are some stellar spots along the way.
Source: denverwestword - 🏆 315. / 61 Read more »

WTI sinks to new eight-month-lows, below $80 per barrelThe US crude oil benchmark, also known as WTI, drops below $80.00 per barrel on Friday, amid a buoyant US Dollar, with the US Dollar Index rising to l
Source: FXStreetNews - 🏆 14. / 72 Read more »

Ohio State Has Track Record of Success Slowing Wisconsin’s Ground Game During Eight-Game Win StreakWisconsin is expected to lean on its ground game Saturday, but Ohio State has only allowed 3.5 yards per carry and eight rushing TDs in its last eight matchups against the Badgers. Should be a fun one Make mertz beat you. He will not be successful The fact that Wisconsin is going to depend on the run game, and they don't have a mobile quarterback, makes me think they're going to score maybe one touchdown and a field goal or two.
Source: 11W - 🏆 384. / 55 Read more »

Oil plunges to eight-month low on strong dollar, recession fears By Reuters⚠️BREAKING: *OIL PRICES PLUNGE 5%, ON TRACK FOR BIGGEST WEEKLY LOSS OF THE YEAR - $CL_F OOTT
Source: Investingcom - 🏆 450. / 53 Read more »

Eight time felon charged in 2020 Oakland fatal stabbingMan with eight felony convictions charged with murder in 2020 fatal Oakland stabbing.
Source: OakTribNews - 🏆 597. / 51 Read more »