The findings confirm the centuries-old lore surrounding the rituals and ceremonial practices of the ancient Egyptians, who’s empire lasted from 3100 BCE to 30CE.
The team examined an ancient Egyptian “Bes” mug, which was donated to the Tampa Museum of Art in 1984. There are few of these mugs (so-named as they feature the head of the goddess Bes) left in existence, though it is believed they were a relatively common household item. The figure of Bes was associated with protection, healing, fertility, and magical purification.
Ancient Psychedelic History Found in a Pottery Groove
In their paper, published in the journal Scientific Reports, the researchers revealed that they identified the remains of psychoactive compounds while closely examining the interior of the mug. Ancient pottery tends to be coarse and rough, which means materials that have gotten caught in grooves and pockets can survive until present day.
Study leader Davide Tansai said in a statement;
“There’s no research out there that has ever found what we found in this study,”
“For the first time, we were able to identify all the chemical signatures of the components of the liquid concoction contained in the Tampa Museum of Art’s Bes mug, including the plants used by Egyptians, all of which have psychotropic and medicinal properties.”
Long-Suspected Psychedelic Rituals
Historians and researchers have long suspected that ancient Egyptians partook in psychedelic rituals based on various surviving stories and myths. This discovery also solved another riddle — what those Bes mugs were actually used for.
In a statement Tampa Museum of Art curator Branko van Oppen said;
“For a very long time now, Egyptologists have been speculating what mugs with the head of Bes could have been used for, and for what kind of beverage, like sacred water, milk, wine or beer,”
“Experts did not know if these mugs were used in daily life, for religious purposes or in magic rituals.”
It turns out that rather than “milk, wine, or beer” the Bes mugs were used to house a much more bizarre beverage. On investigation, the researchers found that the mug once held a “cocktail of psychedelic drugs, bodily fluids, and alcohol”, pointing to possible use in a magical or spiritual ritual.
“Dreamlike Visions”
After conducting an advanced chemical and DNA analysis of the mug, the scientists found psychedelic components. These included the plant Pegnum harmala (also known as Syrian rue), whose seeds can cause dreamlike visions. They also found traces of Egyptian lotus (or Egyptian water lily), which acts as a mild sedative and can induce feelings of euphoria. The flower is “traditionally proven to have psychotropic and medicinal properties,” according to the paper.
“Egyptologists believe that people visited the so-called Bes Chambers at Saqqara when they wished to confirm a successful pregnancy because pregnancies in the ancient world were fraught with dangers,” Van Oppen explained. “So, this combination of ingredients may have been used in a dream-vision inducing magic ritual within the context of this dangerous period of childbirth.”
While the cocktail sure doesn’t sound all that appetizing, the ingredients served an important ceremonial purpose. Study co-author Enrico Greco told Newsweek;
“Proteins from blood, vaginal mucus and possibly breast milk were identified. These fluids may have held symbolic or ritual significance, emphasizing themes of life, fertility and regeneration,”
“The inclusion of human fluids, such as blood and mucous secretions, was an unexpected and highly symbolic element.”
Psychedelics As a Tool For Guidance
Lead author Tanasi told Fox News Digital that the mug and its contents may have been used for “incubation rituals” in which people would go to a sacred area to sleep, with the hope of receiving guidance from a deity in their dreams.
“In [the] Greek cult of Asklepios, god of medicine, sick worshipers had to spend the night in the sanctuary and wait to be visited by the god curing them during their dreams,” Tanasi explained “Those dreams were triggered by drugs (pharmaka) dispensed by the priests. So, our research confirms an earlier practice that has later comparisons in several other cultures.”
What was discovered in this Bes mug was groundbreaking. But it is the only one that has thus far been investigated in this way, with cutting-edge technology. The next step for the researchers is to examine the other known Bes mugs to see if the psychedelic, bodily-fluid-infused cocktail was a common recipe.
Greco told Newsweek;
“This is the first comprehensive scientific analysis of a Bes mug’s organic residues,”
“Previous studies speculated on the contents of these vessels, but they lacked direct evidence. This study is groundbreaking in uncovering the actual substances used and their ritual significance.”
What Else Don’t We Know?
This evidence of psychedelic — travelling thousands of years to the present day — begs the question; what else don’t we know? How many myths and stories of psychedelic usage in ancient times may yet turn out to be true? It seems that humans have been using natural psychedelics to expand their minds, receive guidance, and celebrate since the beginning of time. Long may it continue!
