Cannabis was burnt at Jewish religious ceremonies in the 8th century: Israeli researchers

Israeli researchers have revealed in a recent study that Jews in the eighth century used to burn cannabis as a part of religious ceremony. According to researchers at Israel Museum and the Vocani Centre, the world’s earliest known use of burning the medicinal plant in a ritual ceremony has now been dated to 8th century BC at a biblical site in Israel's Tel Arad.

The recent findings are based on the materials found on two limestone altars discovered from the Judahite shrine back in the 1960s. Stones were excavated by the Institute of Archaeology, affiliated with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, at the entrance to the "Holy of Holies" of the shrine at Beersheba Valley.

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As per reports, when the unidentified dark material on two limestone monoliths was sent for identification, it was found that those were the residues of cannabinoids like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabinol (CBN) along with certain traces of materials that suggested the cannabis was “burnt on it”. Other findings also included attributes of animal dung which according to the researchers was there to mix with cannabis resin for “mild heating”. 

The researchers wrote, “The discovery of cannabis on the smaller altar was a surprise. Arad provides the earliest evidence for the use of cannabis in the Ancient Near East.” “Hallucinogenic substances are known from various neighbouring cultures, but this is the first known evidence of hallucinogenic substance found in the Kingdom of Judah,” the study added.

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Altars used for a short span

The researchers have even suggested that these altars were used only for a short span of time and predicted it might be only for ten years that Jews burnt cannabis. Furthermore, since only one substance was retrieved from the altars, it implies that either only one altar was used in the ceremonies or all of them were destroyed after their use. 

The researchers also noted that the use of psychoactive materials is “well known” in the ancient cultures since pre-history including Near Eastern and Aegean. They have added that cannabis was used at Arad as “deliberative psychoactive, to stimulate ecstasy as part of cultic ceremonies. If so, this is the first such evidence in the cult of Judah”.

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