Cannabis was used for religious rites at a biblical site in Israel

Researchers studying two altars at an ancient shrine in Israel have discovered that cannabis was used in religious rituals at the site. The discovery is the first evidence of cannabis use in the ancient Near East, according to the authors. a study published last week in the archaeological journal Tel Aviv.

The researchers studied residues on two limestone altars discovered in 1963 at the entrance to the «Holy of Holies», a Judaic sanctuary dedicated to Yahweh, the Hebrew name for God used in the Bible. The site, which was built in 750 BC and used for just 35 years, is part of Tel Arad, an archaeological mound located in Israel's Beersheba Valley west of the Dead Sea.

The tops of both altars contained residues that archaeologists at the time of discovery attributed to the ritual use of incense, although chemical analysis of the residues carried out over 50 years ago was inconclusive.

More modern techniques, including liquid chromatography and gas chromatography, have recently been used to re-analyze residues.

The smaller of the two altars thus contained cannabinoid residues:  THC, CBD and CBN.

Eran Arie, lead author of the study, said the discovery of cannabis residues had surprised the researchers.

«We know that everywhere and many cultures have used hallucinogenic materials and ingredients to enter a kind of religious ecstasy,» he declared to CNN.

Researchers believe that the cannabis resin may have been mixed with grease and then ignited to produce a slow burn that produced smoke suitable for group inhalation. Arie believes the cannabis was burned for its psychoactive effect rather than its aroma.

«If you really only wanted the smell or scent of cannabis, you could have burned sage,» he said. «It's only when you burn cannabis that the [psychoactive ingredients] are released into the air. So it's not about the smell like with incense; it's about the ecstasy and psychoactive effects of burning cannabis.»

The authors of the study do not know how cannabis arrived in Tel Arad. But as no cannabis seeds or pollen have been found on archaeological sites in the Ancient Near East, they theorize that it was imported to the region in the form of hashish.