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The use of henbane (Hyoscyamus niger L.) as a hallucinogen at Neolithic ‘ritual’ sites: a re-evaluation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

D. J. Long
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Science, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, Scotland
R. Tipping
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Science, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, Scotland
T. G. Holden
Affiliation:
Headland Archaeology Ltd, Unit B4 Albion Business Centre, 78 Albion Road, Edinburgh EH7 5QZ, Scotland
M. J. Bunting
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, University of Hull HU6 7RX, England.
P. Milburn
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, Infirmary Street, Edinburgh EH1 1LT, Scotland

Abstract

Were drugs in use in prehistory? Recent claims for the use of hallucinogenic substances have been made, and caused a stir. However, new work on a Scottish Neolithic ceremonial site suggests archaeologists (and the media) may have been jumping to the wrong conclusions!

Type
News and Notes
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 2000

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