Traces of opium found in 3,500-year-old pottery

Israeli archaeologists have discovered opium residue in 3,500-year-old pottery pieces, providing evidence to support the theory that the hallucinogenic drug was used in ancient burial rituals.

Excavations in the central Israeli town of Yehud revealed a series of late bronze-age graves. Vessels at the site that resembled poppy flowers – from which opium is derived – dating to the 14th century BC and found “opium residue in eight vessels”, the researchers said.