Romans kept black henbane seeds in hollowed-out bone, a new study has found. Here’s what they might have been used for

By Sarah Edwards, University of Oxford

Scientists in the Netherlands have discovered a hollowed-out bone containing black henbane seeds at a Roman archaeological site. For centuries, the plant has been associated with medicine and magic.

Black henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) contains toxic and potentially deadly compounds called tropane alkaloids. These compounds include hyoscyamine and scopolamine, which are concentrated in the leaves and seeds and are known for their psychoactive and medicinal properties.

The exciting discovery at Houten-Castellum in the Netherlands has shed light on the intentional collection and use of black henbane seeds during the time of the Roman empire. On excavation of a water pit at the site, dated to about AD70-100, a hollowed-out sheep or goat bone, plugged one end with birch-bark tar, was found filled with over a thousand black henbane seeds.

The bone was interpreted as a container rather than a pipe, since there was no evidence of burning of the seeds. Smoking pipes were also rare in Europe before the arrival of tobacco. At the same archaeological site, a flowerhead of henbane was found with a basket and ceramic cooking pots. These were interpreted as offerings when people abandoned the settlement.

Remains of black henbane seeds have been found in association with other medicinal plants at archaeological sites in north-western Europe. These date from the Neolithic period onwards, including at several Roman sites.

The earliest finds date back to the first farmers in Europe, around 5500-4500BC. It has been suggested that the plant migrated with farming communities, either intentionally or accidentally, as a “weed of cultivation”.

Conclusive evidence of black henbane’s use by people at these sites, however, is usually lacking. This is due to the plant’s habit of naturally growing on disturbed ground across temperate Eurasia and north-west Africa, combined with the fact that henbane produces many seeds.

There is little evidence for the cultivation or medicinal and hallucinatory uses of henbane until the Roman period, although it is mentioned in the Ebers Papyrus from ancient Egypt, around 1500BC.

Read Full Story https://theconversation.com/romans-kept-black-henbane-seeds-in-hollowed-out-bone-a-new-study-has-found-heres-what-they-might-have-been-used-for-223480