Science Snapshots: Those Hippie Romans

We'll consider this one science-adjacent in one of my favorite disciplines, archaeology. Social science counts, right?

A paper recently published in the journal Antiquity revolved around a hollowed out goat or sheep bone found in the Netherlands. Why would anyone make this sort of box? Why, to hide their hallucinogens, of course!

Black henbane (also known lovingly as stinking nightshade) is technically a poisonous plant. According to the world-renowned source of Wikipedia, in ancient times it was often used in conjunction with other plants for either an anaesthetic (numbing or sleeping agent) and "magic potions" of the psychoactive variety. Modern examples of psychoactive drugs would be cocaine, cannabis, ecstasy, or Tylenol 3. Pliny the Elder documented its use in the Roman Empire, saying it was "of the nature of wine and therefore offensive to the understanding." Dioscorides was a little less harsh, recommending it as a sedative and pain reliever.

So this bone was full of black henbane. So what?

Figure 5 from the paper. Bone cylinder and plug (a) and black henbane seeds (b).

Many times, because it grew naturally around settlements, it doesn't mean anything to find black henbane at an ancient site. But because it was sealed up in this man-made container, it adds good evidence that Romans were intentionally cultivating, collecting, and using this plant. Whether it was medicinal, recreational, or both, though, we can't tell just from this find.

Read the paper here: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/evidence-of-the-intentional-use-of-black-henbane-hyoscyamus-niger-in-the-roman-netherlands/A06E000B17E1642C878E469157D5131C

Read an article about the paper here: https://www.science.org/content/article/roman-era-bone-container-holds-potent-hallucinogenic-medicine?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ScienceAdviser&utm_content=distillation&et_rid=960447322&et_cid=5093731