In brief
Scientists uncovered plant fibers and human hair in a burial mound in the Altai region of southern Siberia, showing that people used cannabis for mind‑altering effects at least 2,800 years ago. DNA analysis of the plant fragments indicates high concentrations of psychoactive cannabinoids, pointing to early intentional cultivation and processing of the species.
Researchers from the University of Zurich and a Russian partner reported that plant fragments and human hair found in a 4th‑century BCE burial chamber in the Altai region of southern Siberia contained evidence of intentional cannabis use for its psychoactive properties. The discovery, published in the journal Nature, marks the oldest direct evidence of mind‑altering cannabis consumption in Eurasia.
The burial mound, located in the Altai Republic near Russia’s border with Mongolia, contained a single tomb dated to between 500 BCE and 400 BCE by radiocarbon testing. In addition to skeletal remains, the archaeologists recovered grouped plant fibers, some of which had been bound to the bones in a binding that suggested ritualistic handling. Chemical analysis of the fibers revealed the presence of cannabichromene and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Because the concentration of THC in the samples is comparable to modern psychoactive strains, the study authors concluded that the plant was intentionally cultivated and processed for its mind‑altering effects rather than for utilitarian purposes such as fiber or oil production.
The determination of the botanical species and its cultivation history relied on advanced DNA extraction techniques. By sequencing the chloroplast DNA of the fibers and comparing it to contemporary cannabis genomes, the team identified the strains as belonging to a lineage that produces high levels of psychoactive cannabinoids. The method, adapted from forensic botany protocols, distinguished between wild and domesticated populations based on specific genetic markers linked to cannabinoid biosynthesis. The DNA evidence, coupled with the chemical profile, thus provides compelling proof of early intentional cultivation for psychoactive use.
While the Altai region is known today for its diverse plant life and ancient steppes, the findings suggest that proto‑rural societies in this part of Eurasia had accumulated enough knowledge about the plant to harness its psychoactive properties. The study authors argue that the presence of cannabis in a burial context indicates that the substance may have had sociocultural or ritual functions, possibly as a substance aiding in rites of passage or as a medicinal aid during funerary rites.
The discovery challenges previous timelines that placed the earliest known use of cannabis for psychoactive purposes in the late‑14th‑century BCE Near East. For example, ancient Mesopotamian tablets record the use of cannabis in ritualistic and medicinal contexts, but those references are a few millennia later than the Altai find. The Siberian evidence highlights a region that was previously underrepresented in the study of prehistoric drug use. Future research will extend the investigation to other burial sites across Central Asia, guided by the new methodology that combines archaeology, forensic science, and botanical genetics.
