Archaeologists find evidence of cannabis use 3000 years ago in Siberia

Archaeologists from Germany, Russia, Sweden, and Switzerland discovered evidence that people used cannabis for psychoactive effects at least 2800 years ago in Siberia.

The team conducted excavations at the Tunnug-1 archaeological complex in the Uyuk Valley, located in southern Siberia. This site contains one of the oldest monumental tombs associated with the Scythians, ancient nomads who migrated from Central Asia to southern Russia and Ukraine.

The researchers published their findings in the journal Science, noting that this usage predates recorded evidence in neighboring China by at least 300 years. The team identified cannabis seeds and human hair preserved within a royal tomb. By analyzing the hair, the researchers identified active compounds from the plant.

Gino Caspari, an archaeologist from the University of Bern and a co-author of the study, stated that the seeds were intentionally placed in the burial, suggesting the plant held special significance for the community. The discovery remains subject to debate among experts. Volker Auverter, head of the forensic toxicology department at the University Medical Center Freiburg in Germany, described the hair analysis as scientifically weak and insufficient to prove consumption.

He suggested that traces of the substance could have reached the hair through prolonged contact with the plant in the tomb rather than through ingestion or inhalation. Conversely, Eliza Guerra Dose from the University of Valladolid in Spain supported the authors, stating the methodology successfully showed that people involved in the burial ritual actually used the plant.