• Education
    • Higher Education
    • Scholarships & Grants
    • Online Learning
    • School Reforms
    • Research & Innovation
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Home & Living
    • Relationships & Family
  • Technology & Startups
    • Software & Apps
    • Startup Success Stories
    • Startups & Innovations
    • Tech Regulations
    • Venture Capital
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cybersecurity
    • Emerging Technologies
    • Gadgets & Devices
    • Industry Analysis
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
Today Headline
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
Today Headline
No Result
View All Result
Home Science & Environment

Warriors of the Roman Period May Have Used Narcotics Before Battle todayheadline

January 30, 2025
in Science & Environment
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
0
Warriors of the Roman Period May Have Used Narcotics Before Battle
1
SHARES
3
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Centuries of votive offerings cast into a lake in Denmark and other archaeological discoveries have revealed that barbarian warriors may have indulged in psychotropic drugs to stimulate themselves during battle against the Romans and other enemies.

These warriors may have used small spoons — dozens of which have been discovered attached to Barbarian belts — to ingest or measure magic mushrooms, an organic precursor for LSD or other substances.

“The lack of fatigue or inhibition, and the mobilization before a battle were desirable,” says Anna Jarosz-Wilkołazka, a biologist at the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Poland. “Therefore, products natural at that time were sought which had this effect on the warrior’s body.”

Barbarian Drug Spoons

Researchers have been discovering small spoons, roughly about as long as a house key, for decades, but they never knew what they were used for. They have been found on the end of belts, which led many people to believe that they might have buckled the belt together.

But Andrzej Kokowski, an archaeologist at the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, wasn’t convinced. “Why then a spoon at the end?” he wonders, while also dismissing cosmetic use as they were too small.

“This is the only logical explanation — we can find no other use,” Kokowski says.

In a study published in the journal Praehistorische Zeitschrift, Kokowski, Jarosz-Wilkołazka, and Anna Rysiak, another biologist at the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, identified 241 spoon-like objects found at 116 sites in Scandinavia, Poland, and Germany that dated to the Roman era.

Many of the belts with these spoons attached to the ends were found in a marsh in Denmark called Illerup Ådal, along with thousands of other weapons and pieces of military equipment. Around two millennia ago, this area was a lake where warriors would throw these items, likely as votive offerings, after battle.

Today it’s just a marsh, and archaeologists have excavated about 150 belts, half of those with spoons, the authors of the study wrote. Others were found in grave sites, also in the context of weapons and military gear.


Read More: Just How Dark Were the Dark Ages?


Ancient Drug Use

The researchers haven’t yet found any traces of substances on these special spoons. But traces have been found in earthenware pots dating to this period. The team also surveyed the types of stimulants that would have grown locally or through trade in dried form.

They found a wide variety that barbarians could have accessed, including hallucinogenic mushrooms, cannabis, opium poppies, and ergot — a type of fungus that contains lysergic acid, a natural precursor to LSD.

What was the Purpose?

Some of these drugs may have reduced fatigue for warriors, improving their performance in battle. Other drugs may have reduced the fear or stress of going into battle, or reduced pain from injuries.

“It cannot be ruled out that they were occasionally used ‘for fun,’ but this is a weak assumption,” says Jarosz-Wilkołazka. “It should be remembered that they were found in the belts of warriors for whom courage, resistance to pain, or lack of inhibition during an attack were very important.”

Whatever the reason, barbarians likely used the spoons either to snort powdered substances, or to measure out a quantity to place into drinks like beer, or into pipes to be smoked.

“The ‘spoons’ described are probably dosage tools for the raw material,” according to the study authors.

The fact that so many of these spoons were discovered reveals that there was likely a whole industry involved in the collecting, processing, and trading of various drugs at the time, Jarosz-Wilkołazka says.

“These were not cartels on the scale of Medellin, but small cartels that responded efficiently to the needs of their armies,” she says. “We dare say that, along with the quality of weapons and food supplies, stimulants were the third essential element for war success during the barbarian German’s time.”


Article Sources

Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:


Joshua Rapp Learn is an award-winning D.C.-based science writer. An expat Albertan, he contributes to a number of science publications like National Geographic, The New York Times, The Guardian, New Scientist, Hakai, and others.

Tags: behavior & societydrugs & addictionhuman originsillicit drugs
Previous Post

NASA astronaut Suni Williams sets new record on 5.5-hour spacewalk outside ISS (video)

Next Post

Here’s What Amazon Is Doing To Cut Down On Middle Management todayheadline

Related Posts

Ocean Discovery League president Katy Croff Bell prepares a low-cost winch system for deep-sea exploration during trials conducted off the coast of the U.S. state of Rhode Island in September 2023. Image courtesy of Ocean Discovery League/Susan Poulton.

Only a tiny % of the deep seafloor has ever been visually observed: Study

June 9, 2025
2
The Conversation

Experts Reveal The Key Differences : ScienceAlert todayheadline

June 9, 2025
5
Next Post
Here's What Amazon Is Doing To Cut Down On Middle Management

Here's What Amazon Is Doing To Cut Down On Middle Management todayheadline

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

April 2, 2025
Pioneering 3D printing project shares successes

Product reduces TPH levels to non-hazardous status

November 27, 2024

Hospital Mergers Fail to Deliver Better Care or Lower Costs, Study Finds todayheadline

December 31, 2024

Police ID man who died after Corso Italia fight

December 23, 2024
Harris tells supporters 'never give up' and urges peaceful transfer of power

Harris tells supporters ‘never give up’ and urges peaceful transfer of power

0
Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend's Mother

Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend’s Mother

0

Trump ‘looks forward’ to White House meeting with Biden

0
Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

0
Ocean Discovery League president Katy Croff Bell prepares a low-cost winch system for deep-sea exploration during trials conducted off the coast of the U.S. state of Rhode Island in September 2023. Image courtesy of Ocean Discovery League/Susan Poulton.

Only a tiny % of the deep seafloor has ever been visually observed: Study

June 9, 2025
As the UN Ocean Conference opens in France, a push to turn promises into protection

As the UN Ocean Conference opens in France, a push to turn promises into protection

June 9, 2025
Posse Comitatus Act at center of Trump-Newsom National Guard dispute in LA

Posse Comitatus Act at center of Trump-Newsom National Guard dispute in LA

June 9, 2025
Developing | China trade data for May misses expectations as export growth slows, imports dip

Developing | China trade data for May misses expectations as export growth slows, imports dip

June 9, 2025

Recent News

Ocean Discovery League president Katy Croff Bell prepares a low-cost winch system for deep-sea exploration during trials conducted off the coast of the U.S. state of Rhode Island in September 2023. Image courtesy of Ocean Discovery League/Susan Poulton.

Only a tiny % of the deep seafloor has ever been visually observed: Study

June 9, 2025
2
As the UN Ocean Conference opens in France, a push to turn promises into protection

As the UN Ocean Conference opens in France, a push to turn promises into protection

June 9, 2025
5
Posse Comitatus Act at center of Trump-Newsom National Guard dispute in LA

Posse Comitatus Act at center of Trump-Newsom National Guard dispute in LA

June 9, 2025
6
Developing | China trade data for May misses expectations as export growth slows, imports dip

Developing | China trade data for May misses expectations as export growth slows, imports dip

June 9, 2025
4

TodayHeadline is a dynamic news website dedicated to delivering up-to-date and comprehensive news coverage from around the globe.

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Basketball
  • Business & Finance
  • Climate Change
  • Crime & Justice
  • Cybersecurity
  • Economic Policies
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Environmental Policies
  • Europe
  • Football
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Health
  • Medical Research
  • Mental Health
  • Middle East
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Politics
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Science & Environment
  • Software & Apps
  • Space Exploration
  • Sports
  • Stock Market
  • Technology & Startups
  • Tennis
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Us & Canada
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • World News

Recent News

Ocean Discovery League president Katy Croff Bell prepares a low-cost winch system for deep-sea exploration during trials conducted off the coast of the U.S. state of Rhode Island in September 2023. Image courtesy of Ocean Discovery League/Susan Poulton.

Only a tiny % of the deep seafloor has ever been visually observed: Study

June 9, 2025
As the UN Ocean Conference opens in France, a push to turn promises into protection

As the UN Ocean Conference opens in France, a push to turn promises into protection

June 9, 2025
  • Education
  • Lifestyle
  • Technology & Startups
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy

© 2024 Todayheadline.co

Welcome Back!

OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Business & Finance
  • Corporate News
  • Economic Policies
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Market Trends
  • Crime & Justice
  • Court Cases
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Cybercrime
  • Legal Reforms
  • Policing
  • Education
  • Higher Education
  • Online Learning
  • Entertainment
  • Awards & Festivals
  • Celebrity News
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Health
  • Fitness & Nutrition
  • Medical Breakthroughs
  • Mental Health
  • Pandemic Updates
  • Lifestyle
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Food & Drink
  • Home & Living
  • Politics
  • Elections
  • Government Policies
  • International Relations
  • Legislative News
  • Political Parties
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Middle East
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cybersecurity
  • Emerging Technologies
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Industry Analysis
  • Basketball
  • Football
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Climate Change
  • Environmental Policies
  • Medical Research
  • Science & Environment
  • Space Exploration
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • Sports
  • Tennis
  • Technology & Startups
  • Software & Apps
  • Startup Success Stories
  • Startups & Innovations
  • Tech Regulations
  • Venture Capital
  • Uncategorized
  • World News
  • Us & Canada
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Travel
  • Research & Innovation
  • Scholarships & Grants
  • School Reforms
  • Stock Market
  • TV & Streaming
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
  • About us
  • Contact

© 2024 Todayheadline.co