From the British army to the German army’s enthusiastic adoption of amphetamines in the WWIIThe use of drugs in war is not uncommon.
But now, experts have discovered that soldiers may have been using drugs to combat fear and fatigue for at least 1,500 years.
Archaeologists say foreign warriors may have used ‘stimulators’ to make themselves heard before war after finding small spoon-shaped objects used to attach belts.
The researchers argue that the tiny metal cups would have been ‘the best way to make energy drinks’ by avoiding the dangers of overdosing.
Although a soldier may not use modern drugs such as cocaine, there are many types of drugs that can be used.
Soldiers may have taken drugs made from opium poppies, hemp, henbane, belladonna, and various psychedelic fungi.
Any of these things in the right amount can provide the motivation soldiers need to overcome the stress and hard work of past battles.
The use of the drug may have been so widespread that the researchers say there would have been a large supply of the drug to supply the military.
Archaeologists say pagan warriors in Roman times may have taken pre-war stimulants to reduce fear and give them strength (artist’s drawing)
Like in the movie Gladiator, the Germanic tribes of Europe would be brutal warriors who fought against the Roman Empire. But experts now say they may have derived some of their danger from drug prices
In all, the researchers identified and placed 241 spoon-shaped objects on 116 burial sites in Scandinavia, Germany and Poland.
The material consists of a handle, typically between 1.5-inch and 2.7-inch (40mm and 70mm) long, and a concave plate or flat disk up to 0.7-inch (20mm) across.
Although the examples that survive are made of metals such as silver, or iron, they may be made of wood or horn that has decayed.
Although the use of these cups at first puzzled researchers, knowledge came from the type of materials they were found with.
In their article, published in the journal Praehistorische Zeitschrift, the researchers wrote: ‘It turned out that all these were found together with weapons.’
Combined with the fact that the spinos were tied with long ropes to lift the face, the researchers think they could have been used by the military to take drugs.
The researchers point out that history shows a long history of soldiers using drugs to cope with the stress of war and argue that history would have been similar to this law.
Although alcohol was the main intoxicant at the time, the ancients were well aware of how plants were used as drugs.
Investigators argue that several metal spoons (pictured) found tied to German military belts were used to make drugs.
The researchers found 241 spoon-shaped objects. Those with round bowls were found mainly in modern Poland and Germany (left) while those with flat heads were found mainly in Scandinavian burials (left)
For example, poppies were cultivated to produce opium by the Greeks and Romans who used opioids as a medicine and stimulant.
Similarly, the discovery of large quantities of opium in the grave of a fifth-century woman in the Caucasus region of eastern Europe suggests that the drug may have been used to induce unconsciousness in shamanic rituals.
Since herbal medicinals can have powerful and often dangerous side effects, taking them in moderation is very important.
Therefore the researchers show that the size of the plates or disks’ determined the safe amount of stimulation necessary for the body to work hard or reduce stress.
‘Exceeding this level would have dangerous consequences for the user,’ they say.
By exploring the natural environment and cultivating different types of different plants, researchers found many types of drugs that could be powdered or dissolved in alcohol.
For example, a veteran may ingest the powdered leaves of the belladonna plant, also known as deadly nightshade.
Despite the lethal dose, the tropane alkaloids in the leaves produce rapid heart rate, psychomotor tremors and even hallucinations.
Opium poppies (right) originated in Spain, France, and parts of North Africa (shown in green) and spread widely by the Roman era (purple).
The Germans would also have known about the ergot fungus (pictured) which grows on Rye and causes violent attacks. This could be powdered and consumed in small amounts as a stimulant
Likewise, the ergot fungus that grows on rye and wild grasses would be more common and easier to cultivate and lead to greater comparisons.
Poisoning by this mushroom, known as St Anthony’s fire, often results in many attacks and deaths.
Evidence from Spain also shows that this mushroom was used to give alcohol a hallucinogenic effect for use in funeral ceremonies as early as 300 BC.
Alternatively, a soldier looking for something a little more relaxing could use hemp, also known as cannabis, which is grown and consumed throughout Europe.
In their study, published in the journal Prehistoric magazinethe researchers argue that these ‘psychoactive stimulants’ were used strictly medicinally and ritually.
‘The use of this kind of motivation by the Germanic peoples of northern Europe may have been greater in the military campaigns of the Roman period,’ they say.
‘The use of stimulants in anxiety disorders may be much greater than previously thought.
‘The number of vessels providing support for the body to function properly can ensure its spread.’
Soldiers can also take powdered leaves or nightshade roots such as Belladonna (right) which is found in northern Europe (green) and was introduced to parts of Scandinavia (purple).
By their estimate somewhere between one-third and one-half of all soldiers in other areas would be carrying spoons of drugs.
Drug use may have been so widespread that the researchers believe they may have uncovered a previously known branch of military finance.
They add: ‘Judging from the high demand for reinforcements in the German armies of the European Barbaricum, this must have been an important enterprise.
‘It had to create not only a constant demand, but also a need for a sufficient quality of medicine, which later affected the strength of the struggle against the enemy.’
