hn.today

Ancient warriors got high on cannabis, burial mound reveals

thetimes.com11 points4 comments
Screenshot of Ancient warriors got high on cannabis, burial mound reveals

A Siberian Scythian burial mound is presented as evidence that ancient warriors used cannabis to become intoxicated. The central claim is that this archaeological discovery gives material support to a practice previously known through historical accounts. Cannabis use is framed as part of Scythian life thousands of years ago, challenging the idea that getting high is a modern cultural phenomenon. The headline’s focus is on intoxication, not on cannabis as a medicine or crop.

The discovery is also portrayed as vindicating Herodotus, the Greek historian whose reports were often doubted. He described Scythians reacting to cannabis with howls of joy, and the burial evidence is said to support his account. The significance lies in the apparent agreement between archaeological evidence and a classical writer’s description of Scythian customs. The supplied information does not explain precisely what was recovered from the mound or how researchers identified cannabis, but it foregrounds the claimed confirmation: ancient warriors used the drug, and Herodotus’s account may have been accurate.

Read on thetimes.com4 comments on Hacker News

Summary generated by AI from the linked article. hn.today is not affiliated with Hacker News or Y Combinator.

More in Science

The daily digest

Today's best Hacker News stories, summarized and screenshotted, one email a day.