Posted on 01/03/2025 6:18:21 AM PST by Red Badger
Germanic warrior taking stimulants imagined by Stanislav (Stanisław) Kontny, especially for the Praehistorische Zeitschrift. Credit: Stanisław Kontny for Praehistorische Zeitschrift
Recent discoveries suggest that small spoon-shaped objects attached to the belts of ancient Northern European warriors might have been used to measure doses of stimulants before battle.
These findings, uncovered through the combined efforts of archaeologists and biologists, propose a widespread use of natural stimulants among the Germanic peoples during the Roman period, challenging the notion that these groups primarily consumed alcohol. The use of such substances could have been crucial not only in warfare but also in medicinal and ritual practices, indicating sophisticated knowledge of natural resources and their applications.
Discovery of Ancient Stimulant Tools
Small, spoon-shaped artifacts found attached to warriors’ belts at archaeological sites across northern Europe may have been used to measure and dispense stimulants before battle, according to a new study in the journal Praehistorische Zeitschrift.
While the use of narcotics like opium in ancient Greece and Rome is well-documented through historical records and archaeological finds, there is little evidence of similar practices among the so-called barbarian peoples living beyond the Roman Empire. Historically, it has been assumed that these groups primarily consumed alcohol and made limited use of other psychoactive substances.
New Insights from Modern Analysis
However, new analyses led by archaeologist Prof. Andrzej Kokowski and biologists from Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, Poland, challenge this view, offering fresh insights into the possible use of stimulants among these ancient societies.
The researchers identified and categorized 241 small, spoon-shaped objects found at 116 sites dating from the Roman period, primarily marsh sites and graves in modern-day Scandinavia, Germany, and Poland. The objects have handles, mostly between 40 and 70mm long, and either a concave bowl or flat disk measuring 10 to 20mm across. They were attached to a man’s belt, but played no role in its functioning.
The Role of Stimulants in Ancient Warfare
All of these objects were found together with items used in warfare. Stimulants may have been widely used throughout history to motivate soldiers to increase their exertion and also to reduce the stress and fear caused by warfare. The warriors could have used these objects to measure the right dose to produce the desired effects and to reduce the possibility of an overdose.
Prof. Kokowski and colleagues then surveyed which stimulants could have been available to the Germanic communities of the Roman period, either plants gathered locally or transported in dry form from further afield. They conclude that it was highly likely that Germanic peoples would have had access to a wide range of substances that could function as stimulants including poppy, hops, hemp, henbane, belladonna, and various fungi. These could have been consumed either in liquid form, especially dissolved in alcohol, or in powdered form.
Implications of Stimulant Use in Germanic Societies The researchers conclude that the use of stimulants by the Germanic peoples of Northern Europe could have been extensive during military conflicts of the Roman period. Moreover, they note that to supply the quantity and type of stimulants needed would have required considerable knowledge and organization.
They further believe that the stimulants were probably also used for purposes other than warfare, such as in medicine and rituals: “It seems that the awareness of the effects of various types of natural preparations on the human body entailed knowledge of their occurrence, methods of application and the desire to consciously use this wealth for medicinal and ritual purposes.”
Reference:
“In a narcotic trance, or stimulants in Germanic communities of the Roman period”
by Anna Jarosz-Wilkołazka, Andrzej Kokowski and Anna Rysiak, 26 November 2024, Praehistorische Zeitschrift.
DOI: 10.1515/pz-2024-2017
If you were going into battle against enemies with swords, spears, clubs, and maces you’d need a little boost too!
May have, could have, might have - speculation, speculation, speculation - not science.
Mere analysis of the spoons ought to have by now determined if even minute trace amounts of “stimulants” were found on the “spoons”. Where is THAT report? Nonexistent.
When modenn people resort to matters in their own modern context and transpose it to ancient remains, they are doing bad science and bad archaeology.
A big part of the reason for Caesar’s success was a group of german mercenaries he hired. They were not just big men. Their fighting spirit was frightening to all they encountered.
In battle they were like the Viking Berserkers who were known for taking drugs to get them crazy for battle. The Caesar’s Germans may have done the same.
How would you prepare for battle? If you were a Germanic warrior from Northern Europe during the Roman period, you may have sniffed some narcotics.
A team of three Polish researchers, including archaeologist Andrzej Kokowski and two biologists from Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, has suggested that Germanic people of Northern Europe living outside of the Roman Empire used stimulants during war. Their findings, detailed in a November 26 study published in the journal De Gruyter, challenges the notion that only Mediterranean civilizations used narcotics in antiquity...
While both archaeological and historical sources testify that the ancient Greeks and Romans used narcotics such as opium, according to the study, there is no clear evidence to suggest that their contemporaries also engaged in this consumption (the ancient Egyptians, however, were sipping on psychedelics)...
Said clues came in the form of 241 small objects attached to warriors' belts in 116 Roman-period (roughly seventh century BCE to fifth century CE) archaeological sites in northern Europe, including in modern-day Germany, Scandinavia, and Poland. The objects are spoon-shaped artifacts with handles mostly between 1.57 and 2.76 inches long (40 and 70 millimeters) and small bowls or flat disks from 0.39 inches to 0.78 inches across (10 to 20 millimeters). Archaeologists unearthed them among other artifacts related to war...
To strengthen this theory, the team analyzed the possible stimulants that Germanic tribes could have accessed either locally or via trade during the Roman era. The possible list includes poppy, hemp, hops, belladonna, henbane, and numerous fungi, all of which could have been taken as a liquid or powder, and may have also been used for medicinal and/or ritualistic purposes, according to the study.Did Germanic Warriors Take Stimulants Before Battle? | Archaeology Magazine | December 6, 2024
Abstract: The authors concluded that the spoon-ended fittings of the ends of the belt may have served as dispensers of stimulants for Germanic warriors to fight Germanic warriors into battle. They collated 241 such objects, dividing them typologically. It turned out that all of them were found together with elements of war equipment. They attempted to identify achievable plant raw materials affecting the stimulating the body and determined their effectiveness. They also indicated the ranges of their availability. In conclusion, they concluded that the use of agitation stimulants may have been far greater than had been assumed. They referred to finds from military sacrificial sites votive sites in southern Scandinavia (mainly Illerup), which show that the amount of dispensing utensils to aid body efficiency may even attest to their prevalence. The authors also believe that they have discovered an unknown branch of the economy operating for the war conflicts waged during the Roman period.In a narcotic trance, or stimulants in Germanic communities of the Roman period | Anna Jarosz-Wilkołazka, Andrzej Kokowski, and Anna Rysiak | Praehistorische Zeitschrift | November 26, 2024
“If you come to a fork in the road, take it!” - Yogi Berra
“If you come to a spoon in the road, snort it!” - ANON.................
But why a spoon?
Because it's dull, you twit. It'll hurt more.
“If a truck jackknifes in the road...”
Berserkers, exactly, that was my first thought too. Those spoons may have been sized for the right amount of one certain kind of plant, which could vary depending on the plant, or also on the size and sensitivity of the warrior.
I have a good friend who grows his own (in a legal state). As a senior citizen he has spinal arthritis which acts up from time to time. He processes the weed, soaks it in grain alcohol, which prepares a tincture. Three or 4 drops can kill the back pain and put him in a good mood. One day I was visiting and he was out for several hours. I decided to fix a treat with 2 servings. I used 1/4 teaspoon of his vanilla to make the pudding and ate my cupful. Soon I was feeling very strange and began to wonder if I was having a stroke. I did not want to try driving to a hospital, so lay down to wait for him, and dozed off. He returned hours later. I woke up feeling better and told him my bad experience. I mentioned using his vanilla and he burst out laughing, “that bottle is my tincture, that other bottle is vanilla.” So, 1/8th teaspoon, wow!!
Sounds like balderdash to me.
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