The black henbane has been present in archaeological sites within the Netherlands dating back to the Neolithic period. However, since it is a wild plant that easily grows in disturbed soil near settlements, experts were unable to find out whether it was utilized by humans or was just a part of the environment.
For example, in 2008, archaeologists discovered, amongst others: Ceramic beaker from Roman times in Voorburg, which was covered with earth over time. In the bottom they found one seed of henbane together with 26 hazelnuts and one grain each of corn, barley, wheat and various other seeds. “The overall composition of the seeds seemed to indicate the deliberate use of black henbane as some type of medicine or hallucinogenic agent,” said Jasper de Bruin, curator ofThe Netherlands in Roman times” on the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, which was not involved in the brand new research.
But in keeping with Laura Kooistra, a retired archaeobotanist and co-author of the most recent findings, a single seed embedded within the soil doesn’t provide the degree of certainty needed to attract conclusions about whether henbane was utilized by humans. “One swallow does not make a spring,” she said.
On the opposite hand, the dice box provides such evidence. “For the first time in Western Europe, this shows the deliberate collection of poisonous black henbane seeds during the Roman period,” said Otto Brinkkemper, an archaeobotanist on the Netherlands Cultural Heritage Agency who was not involved within the research.
However, experts can only guess what purpose these seeds can have served.
The authors of the brand new study describe henbane as a medicinal plant, said Astrid Van Oyen, an archaeologist at Radboud University in Nijmegen who was not involved within the study. However, it is feasible that henbane was utilized by people “actively seeking psychoactive experiences” for spiritual, therapeutic or recreational purposes, she added.
“This discovery gives us a rare insight into the possible way that people deal with and mediate the fears, stresses, hopes and aspirations of everyday life,” Dr. Van Oyen said. “Whoever collected all these seeds in this makeshift container did so deliberately and skillfully – they knew what they were doing.”
