News Archaeology

A biblical-era Israeli shrine shows signs of the earliest ritual use of marijuana

Chemical analyses of residue from an altar reveal a cannabis–animal dung mixture

Arad shrine

A section of the more than 2,700-year-old shrine at Arad, rebuilt from original archaeological finds for display at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, includes two altars, one with frankincense residue (left) and one with cannabis residue (right).

Israel Antiquities Authority Collection, photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, by Laura Lachman

By Bruce Bower

- More than 2 years ago

A limestone altar from an Iron Age shrine in Israel contains remnants of the world’s earliest known instance of burning cannabis plants in a ritual ceremony, a new study finds.