Roman Era Barbarians Carried Tiny Spoons That May Have Helped in Battle

04 December 2024
By Michelle Starr

Tiny spoon-shaped implements carried by Roman era Germanic warriors may be evidence they used stimulants on the field of war.

According to a new analysis of the mysterious artifacts and their context, archaeologists and biologists believe that the suspiciously round-ended fittings could have been used to dispense drugs that gave the warriors an edge when they faced their opponents thousands of years ago.

What those drugs actually were is unknown; we'd have to find some evidence of them, such as residues, and that can be challenging after thousands of years have elapsed. But the concept isn't without precedent; and, if it can be validated, the team's hypothesis could reveal evidence of drug use among cultures outside of the Roman Empire.

This would be a big deal: although the use of drugs like opium is well documented in Greece and Rome, the use of narcotics and stimulants in ancient times outside of this region remains a mystery. Historians have previously assumed that the only drug that really saw use by the barbarians was alcohol, at least until much later in history.

More:
https://www.sciencealert.com/roman-era-barbarians-carried-tiny-spoons-that-may-have-helped-in-battle