An archeologist shows a pottery vessel in which opium remains were found, in Jerusalem, on Sept. 20, 2022.(Photo: Xinhua)

 

Archeologists show pottery vessels in which opium remains were found, in Jerusalem, on Sept. 20, 2022.(Photo: Xinhua)

 

An archeologist shows a pottery vessel in which opium remains were found, in Jerusalem, on Sept. 20, 2022.(Photo: Xinhua)

 

An archeologist shows a pottery vessel in which opium remains were found, in Jerusalem, on Sept. 20, 2022.(Photo: Xinhua)

 
Israeli researchers have found opium remains in pottery vessels discovered in central Israel, dating back to about 3,400 years ago.

This is the world's earliest known evidence for the use of a hallucinogenic drug, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and Tel Aviv University (TAU) said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

In a study, conducted by the IAA, TAU and the Weizmann Institute of Science in central Israel and published in the journal Archaeometry, the team revealed that the Canaanites used opium in burial rituals as an offering for the dead.

The ceramic vessels, some of which were made in Cyprus, were discovered back in 2012 in Canaanite graves among the remains of the ancient city of Tel Yehud, in today's city of Yehud-Monosson.

The vessels were put in the graves as offerings with the belief that they would be used by the dead in the afterlife, the statement said.

Through an organic residue analysis, the researchers found opium residues in eight vessels,

The findings confirm an assumption that opium and its trade played a role in the Near East cultures, the statement added.

"It may be that during burial ceremonies, participants attempted to raise the spirits of their dead relatives in order to express a request, and would enter an ecstatic state by using opium," said IAA researcher Ron Be'eri.

"Alternatively, it is possible that the opium, which was placed next to the body, was intended to help the person's spirit rise from the grave in preparation for the meeting with their relatives in the next life," he added.

"The opium was brought from Turkey, through Cyprus, indicating the importance that was attributed to the drug," said TAU researcher Vanessa Linares.