In the Uyuk Valley in southern Siberia, among the frozen layers of the Tunnug burial mound 1, archaeologists came across something unexpected: more than a thousand intact hemp seeds, carefully arranged around the burials of Scythian nobility. Nearby were strands of human hair that had survived for almost three millennia. Analysis revealed traces of cannabinol in them — a substance formed when tetrahydrocannabinol, the plant's main psychoactive component, breaks down.
The find is dated to the early eighth century BCE — about 2800 years ago. Six seeds underwent radiocarbon analysis, which confirmed the age. Hair from the central burial chamber yielded clear signals of cannabinol and faint ones of THC itself. This is direct chemical evidence, not indirect residues in vessels or braziers, as in later Chinese finds.
The lead researcher, Gino Caspari of the University of Bern, together with colleagues from Germany and Russia, emphasizes that the seeds and the traces in the hair come from a single tomb. The plant clearly played a role in the burial ritual, and people most likely used it precisely for its mind-altering effect. Previously, such evidence had been indirect — Herodotus's descriptions of Scythian steam baths with hemp, or finds in braziers dating back 2500 years.
Hair works as a natural archive: substances from the blood become incorporated into growing hair and remain there for a long time. Modern toxicologists use the same principle for analysis. Here, the method made it possible to "interrogate" people who lived in the era of the early Scythians — nomads whose burial mounds preserve not only gold but also the secrets of everyday life.
The discovery pushes the known history of cannabis use as an intoxicant back by three centuries. It shows that the pursuit of altered states of consciousness is not a modern invention but an ancient practice woven into rituals and social bonds. The hemp seeds in the grave underscore that the plant was valued not only as fiber or food but also as a means of achieving special experiences.
Researchers have already begun sequencing the DNA of the seeds — this is the oldest known genetic material of cannabis. In the future, such data will help to understand how and when the plant spread and was domesticated. For now, the find serves as a reminder that even in the harsh conditions of the Siberian steppe, people sought ways to expand the boundaries of perception.
The ancient traces in the hair and seeds from the Tunnug burial mound 1 teach us to appreciate that plants and rituals can connect generations across the centuries, if we approach their study with care and precision of method.
