Hair recovered from a burial in southern Siberia suggests that people there consumed cannabis roughly 2,800 years ago, according to a study published in the journal Science. The researchers, led by Gino Caspari of the Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology in Jena and the University of Bern, examined remains from a monumental tomb known as Tunnug 1, which is attributed to Scythian mounted nomads.
The hair samples contain strong signals of cannabinol, or CBN, and only weak traces of THC, the compound most associated with the plant's intoxicating effects. CBN forms when THC degrades through contact with oxygen, so its strong presence suggests that the cannabis in question had been around for some time before it was consumed or that it was stored under conditions that broke THC down. Because of this, the researchers say it is impossible to determine how much THC the plants contained at the time.
The grave also held more than 1,000 hemp seeds, dated to about the same period. That find, together with the hair evidence, makes the burial one of the clearest indications yet of plant use in this region. The researchers stress, however, that it remains unclear whether the cannabis was taken for intoxication. Two explanations are considered possible: the plant may have helped calm those taking part in a ritual, or its smoke may have masked the smell of decay in the tomb.
The burial also appears to have included human sacrifices alongside horse sacrifices, a practice that fits with what is known of Scythian funerary customs. Similar evidence has been found elsewhere: seeds from Pasyryk in the Altai region and residues from Jirzankal in the Pamir mountains, the latter about 2,500 years old. Gene sequencing of the plant samples is now underway, and the team reports that preservation of DNA in the tomb is excellent, which may help clarify the origin and type of the cannabis involved.