“Ancient High: Archaeologists Unearth Shocking Evidence of Cannabis Rituals at 8th Century B.C. Biblical Shrine”
Researchers believe this is where religious rites were held, and previous analysis of pottery items found at the site suggests the shrine saw regular use between 760 B.C. to 715 B.C. Published in the Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University, the study is nothing short of historic.
“This is the first time that cannabis has been identified in the Ancient Near East,” said lead author Eran Arie from the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. “Its use in the shrine must have played a central role in the cultic rituals performed there.”
Israel MuseumThe cannabis was mixed with animal dung to burn at a lower temperature, thus slower, presumably to last for the duration of the religious rite.
According to CNN, it was late archaeologist Yohanan Aharoni who initiated excavations in 1962. For the next five years, his work on behalf of the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem uncovered items still being investigated over half a century later.
The two fortresses dated to the ninth and sixth centuries B.C. and served to guard the Judahite kingdom’s southern border. The shrine was constructed in the 10th century B.C., not unlike the First Temple of Jerusalem — and built upon the east-west axis in a potentially ritualistic act, itself.
Located in the northwestern corner of the fortresses, the shrine is 42 feet across and 62 feet deep. It holds four distinct areas, including an open courtyard cordoned off with fences and a storage area, a main hall, and a small cella west of the main hall.
