Earliest evidence of cannabis use found in ancient Siberian tomb

Archaeologists uncovered a royal burial in Siberia that contained roughly 1,000 cannabis seeds alongside preserved human hair, a combination that researchers say provides the earliest physical evidence of cannabis being used as an intoxicant. Radiocarbon dating places the tomb at about 2,800 years old, pushing the known timeline for psychoactive cannabis consumption back several centuries. Coverage of the find varies by outlet. Yahoo’s story focuses on the visual of the seeds and hair, describing the tomb as a possible source of the “oldest trace of a cannabis high.” Gizmodo frames the burial as the first known instance of cannabis used as a drug, while Scientific American stresses that ancient humans were using the plant far earlier than previously thought.

Phys.org highlights the 2,800‑year date, the New York Times asks whether these nomads were the “first stoners,” and CNN reports the discovery as the earliest evidence of cannabis use. The discovery arrives at a moment when the historical record of cannabis largely rests on later texts from China, India and the Near East. By locating a drug‑related context in a Siberian nomadic setting, the find suggests that psychoactive plant use may have spread across Eurasia earlier than scholars have documented. The presence of a large seed cache and hair implies deliberate inclusion of the plant in burial rituals, hinting at cultural significance beyond simple nutrition.

Future reporting is expected to follow laboratory analyses of the seeds and hair for chemical residues, as well as peer‑reviewed publications that will assess the claim of the earliest intoxicant use. Researchers may also revisit other burial sites to search for similar evidence, and academic commentary will likely address how this Siberian example reshapes timelines of cannabis diffusion across ancient societies.