Drug Use in Ancient Greece and Rome

[@ethanstaaf404]

“Left the body dehydrated” i had never considered that thousands of years ago people were experiencing cottonmouth

[@geoffmcgowan]

Such is life..

[@mokkaveli]

the first guy who ever had cottonmouth and drank some fruit juice mustve been like YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[@YusuphYT]

@3g0st my thought exactly. opioids leave you dehydrated, and leaves a dehydrated mouth feeling. cannibinoids leave cottonmouth sensation, completely unrelated and unrecognisable from extreme opioid dehydration.

[@YusuphYT]

or even extreme dehydration in general, doesnt need to be the opioid extreme to prove my point. cottonmouth is saliva related, not the case with dehydration as dehydration is not local to a local saliva gland region.

[@newonthewatcher2023]

@3g0st It might not be dehydration but it can still be perceived that way, especially by ancient people who had nowhere near as much insight on the subject

[@joshuab4586]

I personally really enjoy the often overlooked history of substance use in history/antiquity. People often like to think that “getting high” is a new phenomenon, but I often find it’s historically been used recreationally, spiritually and medically for millennia.

[@SimonQuennevilleSim]

@@user-er5yt8vl6v i would

[@Okk030]

@@user-er5yt8vl6v yup

[@ByeBaybe]

I'm pretty confident in the idea of our sentience allowing us to enjoy being high. I remember giving my cat some benadryl for her allergies, and she did not know wtf was happening. She was scared.

[@user-er5yt8vl6v]

@@ByeBaybe that’s probably exactly the reason why some plants use psychoactive defenses to let animals know not to eat it, but humans happily enjoy eating it to hallucinate

[@user-er5yt8vl6v]

@@SimonQuennevilleSim already began making it ;)

[@genociderjill]

they were doing opium mixed with WEED???? I need to try this now and I will rebuild Rome.

[@auguste573]

They drank Wine spiked with opium, black tea, they was high as a mfr!

[@fuzzytransmissionman]

weed=whooooaaaa, that's crazy.... opium=whoa....................................................................................that's crazy.........................................................................

[@elcid9054]

We need slaves for that

[@pine1780]

Weed and Opium is still commonly used together recreationally , And I have dabbed while on my pain meds when I had root canals. It can get you slow asf. Also dangerous just stick with weed to be honest lol. it crazy drugs grow on trees.

[@giulioluzzardi7632]

..and I will do the mixing of the Ingredients while aslo mixing that lovely Roman concrete...labour wont be hard to find.

[@brianshissler3263]

"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence." I absolutely love this quote. First time I have heard it.

[@craigbhill]

Coined by a killer, Donald Rumsfeld, to cya trying to convince bilked Americans not to convict the W admin for lying about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. It didn't succeed.

[@detectif1061]

its a rather dumb quote.

[@brianshissler3263]

@@detectif1061 your mom

[@raaaaaaaaaam496]

@@craigbhill that is not where it came from lmao

[@oddishhonor]

Shoutout to the Boondocks show for using it once as well!

[@Poodleinacan]

I don't have an addiction, I get high to honor my ancestors.

[@irongeneral7861]

At least you honor them somehow.

[@youareright4917]

Better than getting a fast tracked Fauci vax to prevent the Fauci virus!

[@Poodleinacan]

@@irongeneral7861 I was making a joke. To my knowledge, I don't have Greek nor Roman ancestry.

[@b.a.k5367]

@@youareright4917 better than getting euthanized by the nazi fow wow chee.

[@youareright4917]

@@Poodleinacan "I get high with a little help from my friends, Romans and countrymen." - Paulus McCartneyus

[@aliceinwavyland]

'An absence of evidence shows that everyone was too stoned to record anything' Is what I thought he was going to say 😂

[@greaseaddiktz3217]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@aliceinwavyland]

@@redneckshaman3099 sorry what 😂

[@DirtySteezy]

@@redneckshaman3099 me too my friend, me too...

[@redneckshaman3099]

@@DirtySteezy once you go black, it's like smoking crack ❤️

[@bellaprovent4514]

@@redneckshaman3099 😐

[@shoobymcdooberson7466]

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the reason we don't know a lot about ancient Greek and Roman recreational drug use is the same as why it took so long to figure out how certain tools were used; it could have been so commonplace that no one thought to write it down.

[@peoplez129]

Another factor could be that ritualism controlled drug use. And that in those times, resources weren't as plentiful. Drugs aren't really meant by plants as a desirable thing, they're meant as a deterrence. A wild animal gets high, they're more lethargic and open to predation. So back then, you needed to work hard to grow your crops and provide for yourself. If you were high all the time, the fruits of your labor would suffer. Today, we have 1 person capable of doing the job of what used to take hundreds of people, and the burdens were larger on the individual. If you're a farmer with a family, that's all you have. If your performance suffers by even 20%, just picture 20% of the field of crops gone. That's a big deal. So effort and time mattered greatly, because it had a greater effect. There was always more to do. Especially when preparing for the winter was a necessity. So you had 6 months of work needed to provide for 12 months, and even then the work wasn't done in the winter. In the modern world, no one really needs to prepare for winter anymore. You can just hop down to the store and grab some fresh food. The world was also much smaller, so it's not like you could just pop down to a drug dealer, a lot of these drugs were likely foreign imports that came through every now and then. Someone had to physically carry that stuff hundreds or even thousands of miles. That wasn't a quick distance back then. People take for granted the speed at which we can achieve things these days. Other things were more valuable for the time and effort spent. And think about how much they would have needed to transport if it was common place. We're talking hundreds of thousands of pounds of weed. Quality was also likely of issue. When you're transporting bundles of weed, they're not shrink wrapped and jarred. They're being put on the back of a wagon like hay bales. That means they quickly lose their aroma and potency by the time they even reach the customer. Just imagine how weed would look/smell/taste/feel after sitting on the back of an open wagon after a week of transport, after its changed many hands, distributed and redistributed. It's not going to be very good. And they also likely didn't strictly control the sexes of the plants they grew, so you'd end up with much weaker potency from the get go, before all of that transport time. Of course that means plentiful seeds to grow their own, and they likely did, but again, there were lots of factors that would have limited the desire for drug use. We're talking about a time when someone could shove a knife in your back at any moment. You needed to have your wits about you. There were no fingerprints, no DNA, no camera's....someone could off you and no one would know, or run away and never be caught. Even today, over 90% of all crimes go unsolved. Back then? 99.99999% probably. So people were much more vulnerable, which made things that made you vulnerable, less desirable.

[@shoobymcdooberson7466]

@@peoplez129 No? Animals use natural drugs all the time to soothe aches and pains, mental trauma, and other ailments. Storage jars are old as hell, too, so I can't imagine understanding sealing things off from oxidizing would have been a foreign concept. Self-defense, either. Poisons and hidden weapons have always been useful, and it's not like people couldn't hire a guard for cargo.

[@shoobymcdooberson7466]

@@peoplez129 Do you have sources on any of that? You're talking like the study of plants and breeding crops and such aren't just common sense gardening. Although, you're kind of proving my point talking about all this like people didn't have the sense to work things out 😭

[@janegarner6739]

In the Americas (pre-Col.) many societies & civilizations were developed by peoples who used psychedelic substances over at least a millennia, with many formulas that by the 15th c. C.E. were used for fairly specific results. Little study has been done on the subject largely because of the laws & popular views re these substances in modern society. The first written studies of such drugs among the pre-hispanic Mexica (Aztecs & others of the region & period) wasn't printed until abt 1976, in work by the leading scholar Peter Furst. The subject has since then still been largely ignored in the field of studies of the Aztec/Mexica of the 14th-15th c as well as those of other native peoples in pre-Col. times. The ancient libraries of the Aztec-Mexica were intentionally destroyed by the Sp. invaders in the 16th c, with the living knowledge by Aztec-Mexica 'priests' also destroyed, as the invaders murdered all the surviving 'priests' at the seige of Mexico/Tenochtitlan (1521) & thereafter sought to hunt down & kill any who might have escaped. Similar tactics were used against the Maya in the following decades. With the Euro. invasion & colonization of these native peoples & others, the native religions were made illegal, with punishment of death being usual for any native found with anything (books, ceremonial objects, etc) from the old culture. This same pattern of destruction was carried out by the Europeans & later Euro-Americans north of Mexico. (The practice of native religions was illegal in the U.S. till the later 1980s when legalization was forced via U.N. resolution & the pressure by Euro. allies of the U.S.) This is much too complex a subject & history to go into here except for some very basic facts. The works of Peter Furst are still a good source on the subject re native civilizations of pre-hispanic Mexico, & there are more recent books on the subject re the prehispanic peoples of the Andes. And there is work available on various native peoples' historic use of psychedelic substances in what is now the U.S. But overall, the subject has been very under-studied & ignored. This is comparable to an attempt to study ancient Greece, Rome, & the history of western civilization while ignoring the use of wine (& other alcoholic substances) in the cultures & religions. In fact, hallucinogens might well have played a larger part in the development of Native cultures than wine/alcohol played in the west. This is not to say native peoples were simply misled or overly influenced by the use of psychedelics, not at all. Rather, the controlled use of psychedelics influenced many wideheld views found among these peoples, such as the generally held view that the earth & all 'parts' of the earth are living, as opposed to the western division into animate & inanimate & the view of humans as a superior species, etc. From what little such knowledge survived the 16th c destruction of the Mexica civilization & the following centuries of colonialism & further destruction of the native culture, some little information has survived, albeit often distorted by translation of the native language into Euro. languages, such as found in the Florentine Codex & similar sources. We know, for example, that in Mexico/Tenochtitlan the use of psychedelic substances & formulas was legally allowed only for certain ceremonial uses, their use strongly prohibited for private use except among the elderly, those past working & raising families. The use of alcohol was much more strongly regulated, with its use being a capital offense except for proscribed ceremonial use & by the elderly. The radically different effects of alcohol & psychedelic substances can be seen in the very different developments each had on societies, which is not to say either type of substance determined the cultural views of those peoples. But if one is familiar with the effects of, for example, peyote & distilled alcohol or strong wine, the very different effects are apparent. Peyote allows one to experience visions of the natural world that are commonly found in the traditional spiritual views of many Native peoples throughout most of the Americas in pre-Col. times, quite a few of these also still held by surviving peoples. The general view of 'Nature', of the place of human beings within 'Nature' as a species different from others but not superior, the view that each plant or animal is alive & has its own ways of living & its own part to play in the life of the planet as a whole--- these general views were developed over many millennia by peoples who had by at least 1500 BCE used such psychedelic substances as partners in developing spiritual views as well as more general views of life distinctly different than is known of in the development of western civilization. While forms of beer & such were also developed in the Americas, they didn't play such an important role, at least as far as we know, & they didn't have a major influence on developing religions & cultures as alcohol did in the "old world." While alcohol can help one achieve some spiritual and/or visionary experience, it also produces a deadening effect on the senses & the mind.

[@owfan4134]

@@janegarner6739 great post, thanks for writing. I've been watching Ancient America's channel a lot lately, and one thing that I notice isn't spoken of much is ritualistic plant medicine. that's not to say he doesn't mention it, because it obviously plays a part in the cultural traditions of the modern descendants of those people, but mostly the picture of the Mexica peoples he paints is always about sacrifices and bloodletting. I watched his episode on the Popol Vuh and was disappointed to find there wasn't much discussion of plant medicine involved, but there certainly were human sacrifices. The only video I've watched so far to talk about plant medicines was in his video on Chavín de Huántar; apparently it's likely that snuffs containing DMT were ingested by aspirants who, wandering in the labyrinthine corridors of the town's sacred temple, would have undertaken heroic journeys into the depths of the human psyche in pursuit of wisdom- perhaps elevating the town's legend to that of a bonified Oracle, or center of a mystery school. This isn't a callout or an attempt to be disrespectful to Ancient Americas, I'm just curious to learn where these traditions developed, and what the religious function of shamanic practices was for the common person from the ancient past until the arrival of the Spanish and Portuguese. He talks a lot about empires and wars and the feuds between states, but I honestly don't care all that much about violence and warfare apart from the clinical analysis necessary to form a holistic impression of a culture. Specifically, I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of some sources. I'd suspect that, as everywhere else on earth, the dominators and warriors would command the dictation of written history and leave out anything which didn't foster slavish obedience to blood gods and the vast empires those gods were likely invented to support.

[@okantichrist]

The Greek myths are so fantastic and bizarre that it’s difficult to believe no psychoactive drugs were involved in their creation .

[@TheIrishAmish]

The Greeks had very sophisticated recipes for multiples drugs infused into wine and to use as inscence. The Greeks were high AF.

[@b.a.k5367]

cheese. Only thing I truly believe about the Greek mythology is the nephillim, dragons, and a few titans.

[@whyjnot420]

Not that I am saying no other drugs were involved, but you might be surprised just how creative people can get when they are bored and have an ample supply of booze. Just look at the sagas that come out of Iceland for example. Those essentially originate from stories people told each other in semi-drunken or completely drunken states, while sitting around a fire during winter, since there was nothing better to do.

[@marcdemell5976]

Myths are some times real.

[@whyjnot420]

​@@marcdemell5976 There was a British archaeologist named Mick Aston who had 2 rules for all folk memory. 1) All folk memory is wrong. 2) All folk memory is right. The idea being that there are always kernels of truth in them, but they are surrounded by lots and lots of stuff that is not true. With the real key to understanding being able to suss out the truth from the myth. Myths are myths. They cannot be true in and of themselves, however they can contain elements of truth. Might I suggest that you are thinking of legends, not myths. People do tend to confuse or conflate the two terms. Like myths, legends are traditional stories that get passed down the generations, but unlike myths they are not for instance, stories about deities or whatnot. And unlike histories, they have little to no supporting evidence. A legend might later be shown to have likely originated in actual events, look at some of the crazy things we have discovered living in the oceans for instance, i.e. giant squid. btw, there is a term that is sometimes used by historians to denote stories which are a combo of myth and history, mythistory. This refers to stories that have a large amount of truth in them as compared to regular myths (which might only be true in terms of a moral being taught, or something abstract like that as compared to the story that is used to teach it), what percentage that is will differ depending on who uses the term, but as far as I have ever seen it used, it is as I just said. One example of this would be the fantastical stories about the king Gilgamesh.

[@latinhellas6383]

I appreciate how you distinguish textual and archeological evidence from contemporary speculation; in other words, you have the integrity to say that many things we simply do not know.

[@tempotempotempo]

the first 5 seconds: “the tomb had already been looted” me: *“*gasp*”*

[@VeeraBun]

Damn, scythian sweat lodges sound like a fun time 😝

[@StudSupreme]

Interesting how they so strongly resemble the Navajo sweat lodges.

[@cptpayday2080]

So they literally just Hotboxed thousands of years ago?

[@_knightsbane_3615]

@@user-ud7ei6zv7i Sweat lodges do be fun tho

[@rambonatorrrr6694]

@@StudSupreme doubt it's related, otherwise there would be more traces to scythian culture.

[@StudSupreme]

@@rambonatorrrr6694 I don't mean directly related, but still - up to the point that they settled near the Four Corners area, the Navajo had been nomadic. They were also very accustomed to living in steppe or semi-desert conditions. I bet there are some really interesting cultural similarities between the Navajo and the Scythians, in the same way that the Tuareg and the Bedu share certain general 'traits.'

[@NickVenture1]

Thank you for this online class.

[@GazB85]

It's not an online class! 😂

[@Noah-pk7tf]

You’re welcome

[@vinslungur]

@@GazB85 The guy is a literal doctor bro

[@KeyserSoze685]

I think that as soon as early man realized eating some mushroom or the smoke from some planet gave a pleasurable experience...mankind had been getting high for a loooooooong time.

[@habibsspirit]

It's not even about pleasure. Some of the drugs mentioned in wine recipes from that era do not give good trips, on the contrary. Humans, like most animals, when offered the opportunity to have lateral thinking, will do so. The reason is unknown, but I'm willing to bet it has to do with evolutionary game theory, curiosity, and experimentation.

[@bobthebuilder6553]

Not just mankind either. Pigs and Jaguars have been recorded, seeking out and consuming hallucinagetic plants.

[@KeyserSoze685]

@@habibsspirit it might not have been about pleasure....but...they probably found it pleasurable lol

[@LG141602]

Dolphins for example

[@KeyserSoze685]

@@LG141602 yes....almost every kind of animal or person probably enjoys getting high EVEN if that's not what they think they are doing....lol

[@APOLLINAIREBARTHOLOMIEU]

Psychedelics are just an exceptional mental health breakthrough. It's quite fascinating how effective they are against depression and anxiety. Saved my life.

[@elizabethwilliams6651]

Does anyone know any good source to get them? I put so much on my plate and it definitely affects my stress and anxiety levels, would love to give shrooms a try.

[@steceymorgan814]

Yes, dr.sporesss

[@twinfred3160]

Dr.sporesss is the best, he's been my go to for anything psychedelics.

[@elizabethwilliams6651]

Is he on instagram?

[@steceymorgan814]

Yes he is. dr.sporesss

[@pattheplanter]

According the the United Nations "Legend has it that Demeter, in despair over the seizure of her daughter Persephone by Pluto, ate poppies in order to fall asleep and forget her grief. According to Ovid, she supplied Triptolemus also with poppies in order to induce sleep."

[@Neillan]

*Drug use has been and likely always will be an ingrained aspect of human society.*

[@MnemonicHeadTrip]

We as a society nowadays like to pretend it isn’t though. Ostracize even responsible drug use and pretend like making things illegal will stop people from getting them.

[@volkmardeadguy1557]

@@MnemonicHeadTrip nah we just commercialized the drugs

[@midshipman8654]

didnt the video just say that a lot of it was disputed and likely somewhat limited? going too far into one end or and other often leads to obfuscation.

[@szurketaltos2693]

Human society likely exists in large part due to one particular drug - alcohol.

[@markc17]

@@user-ud7ei6zv7i Yeah man, far out.

[@christhomasism]

Hey Dr. Ryan let’s do mushrooms at Ostia Antica

[@RAWNLEY]

Can you imagine him calmly narrating as you melt into the earth?

[@davidec.4021]

I’m in

[@based_prophet]

Let's do dmt n shrooms blunts n a 18 year whiskey on Mount olympius

[@jimc.goodfellas]

@@RAWNLEY that sounds awesome tbh

[@3.8roentgen]

I would like to join as well

[@MaxwellAerialPhotography]

Still love the “inhaling hemp” scene from HBO’s Rome.

[@Kosovar_Chicken]

Yeah I love that one too

[@jtgd]

lol with a straw

[@hoplite723]

It's funny because in some countries that's how it's still consumed

[@ChimiChancla505]

@@jtgd joe

[@isaacsilverman5249]

great show

[@SonKunSama]

I happened to be in Heraklion a couple of weeks ago and there I visited the archeological museum. After the collapse of the palatial political structure there, people started moving inlands and worshipping that poppy-goddess. There were a whole bunch of those statues there with little variety, very interesting.

[@Pianoscript]

My ancestors were founders of the Hospital Brothers of Saint-Anthony who took care of ergotic patients from the 11th century on. They knew very well that ergot was an hallucinogen. People like Grunwald ( Isenheim Altarpiece ) is of this same family. I have researched this quite intensively.

[@suburbianghost]

Do u believe that ergotized alcohol was used in the Eleusinian mysteries?

[@lockandloadlikehell]

"Iseheim Altarpiece"

[@ubemcgrebbiii1923]

Make a video on it

[@redmoondesignbeth9119]

What an interesting story. Who kept the records?

[@sevenhecks]

What resources did you use for your research?

[@dominiquepersechino3867]

I'd love to see a video on the Eleusinian Mysteries next!

[@-xirx-]

Seconded!

[@TeresaWells-y7g]

Thirded!!!!!!!!

[@robertgiles9124]

I get High With a Little Help from my Friends, Romans, and Countrymen!

[@henryshockem9242]

Oh that was a good one Robert. Very clever!

[@GavTatu]

this sir, wins the internet !

[@bezahltersystemtroll5055]

amazing 😂

[@boothenroar]

Ringo approves

[@bertferri-5685]

That should read, "I get high with a little hemp from my friends..."

[@judeirwin2222]

A clear and well-written script. So refreshing to find on KZbin. Thanks.

[@science.and.beyond]

This is an incredible topic that I've researched and failed to find clear answers on in the past. Thank you for the work you do.

[@eg4441]

@@ozzy541he's got a link in the description to his site with this video and sources on the topic below it

[@awesomedude6723]

“Yo Julian, don’t forget the blunticus at our philosophy session tonight”

[@lincs4life]

I've been waiting for this video, you don't hear much about drug use in the past but I find it a very interesting topic

[@lilstarship34]

Love these Videos, thank you so much for your research. Genuinely thinking of picking up your book due to how much I’ve been enjoying your lectures.

[@JonHuhnMedical]

Oh my gosh, you're answering all the ancient Rome questions I never knew I had.

[@thewaywardpoet]

Me, a history nerd who's currently stoned: *I'VE FOUND THE PERFECT VIDEO!*

[@mikehughes4969]

You and me both my friend.

[@jc-ih3ke]

Us all

[@dnice2003]

😎

[@fernandomaron87]

Don't we all?

[@zigzagandmanman]

FACTSSS 🤣

[@M4th3u54ndr4d3]

We need a part 2 of this - you have to talk about ancient egypt and the Blue Water Lilly (also called egyptian lotus). Maybe it was consumed in Babylon and Assyria too

[@worldtraveler930]

Most definitely especially as I've heard discussions that the blue Lotus was a more powerful viagra than modern viagra!!! 🤠👍

[@mazrimtaim3107]

Smoking it is relaxing, and brewing a tea with a dozen or so flowers is definitely sedating in my experience. Not sure about that viagra thing though lol

[@lfrankow]

“Should we build another pyramid?” “Nah, man. Let’s go do lillies “. “Haha, yeah. I’m down. Let’s go. “

[@feelthelove3725]

This video makes me unrealistically happy

[@michaelhoffmann2891]

On another note: seeing as the Kurgan culture shown in the beginning is now increasingly considered the place where horses were first ridden, it would make sense that the first person to get on an untamed horse that could run at 50kmh and extinguish your life with a single kick, would have had to have been stoned out of their gourd! (a case of "hold my mushrooms")

[@petersack5074]

? opium IS NOT mushrooms = (Psilocybin)

[@michaelhoffmann2891]

@@petersack5074 There's always one isn't there? The "I bet you're fun at parties" guy? You think I don't know that? I was not aware that YT was a peer-reviewed platform. "Hold my opium-laced steam infused sweat-tent" just didn't have the same ring. Neither would sticking to the original "hold my beer". HTH. HAND.

[@michaelhoffmann2891]

@Stanky Pankey Holy crap! I've ridden for 30 years, fallen off enough to spend time in hospital and rehab. The horse must have been a saint. Even at a full gallop! It's not the gallop that kills you, it's the sudden stops or leaps/turns where you part ways and prove Newton right yet again. Or your friend should have taken this as a sign for a hidden talent brought out by acid: he should've gone pro! 😆🏇

[@scotth6814]

When Omar Sharif and Peter O'Toole had to ride camels in a big battle scene in "Lawrence Of Arabia", they admitted that they both decided to get drunk first (in order to build up the courage for it, I guess).

[@michaelhoffmann2891]

@@scotth6814 Having ridden camels a couple of times, it could also be to loosen you up enough to be able to sit that insane motion! 😆

[@szurketaltos2693]

The Romans also managed to destroy the last supply of what they considered an aphrodisiac, silphium. Kind of a recreational drug of sorts.

[@mikesully110]

I always wondered what the Lotus Eaters were taking, it sounds a little like Opium, but the drug grew on a Lotus Tree, and opium is a poppy not a tree. Whatever this Lotus Tree produced it sounds a lot stronger than Opium if it existed!

[@szurketaltos2693]

@@mikesully110 at least a stronger sedative, not necessarily a stronger narcotic in my reading

[@gloriamontgomery6900]

I thought sulphium was a form of birth control?

[@kanrakucheese]

On the use in religious rituals: The “Sorcerers” condemned in Revelation (21:8 and 22:15) are “pharmakoi” in Greek. I’ve seen plenty of people link at least the etymology of the word to use of these substances in rituals, if not such people being the ones the word refers to.

[@justinbellotti7838]

OK, I shall subscribe. This video got me "hooked" on this channel.

[@osterotto]

Man you're working like crazy! You put out a video every few days!!

[@holomonic]

I thought of this exact topic earlier today and thought it was a video you should make. Thanks

[@michaelhoffmann2891]

Something that occurred to me to request as a future video: what of today's customs, traditions and manners, specifically in Italy otherwise it might get unwieldy, go back - at least - to the Roman Empire? Having recently done a bit of a deep dive into Petronius' Satyricon and its description of commoner life, there were a few passages where I went "wait, don't they *still* do that in Italy?)

[@toldinstone]

That's a very interesting idea. I'll add it to my video topic list.

[@MCrane81]

Anyone who enjoyed this would really enjoy reading The Immortality Key. There actually IS quite a bit of truth and evidence that Dionysian ceremonies involved hallucinogens

[@f.u.c8308]

What is the evidence?

[@tothboy01]

Nice that you mentioned the Eleusinian Mysteries, because ancient mystery cults are closely related to ancient farming cults of dying-rising vegetation gods, like Attis (originally a Phrygian god but later adopted by the Greeks and Romans), the Egyptian god Osiris, and the Greek demi-god Dionysus. Mystery cults are also similar to Gnosticism and Hermeticism. There is a link here between vegetation gods, consuming a hallucinogenic herb/drug, and having visions (i.e. hallucinations). Such visions may have been interpreted as "seeing the future", so there is also a link here to the belief in prophecy, divination, and oracles.

[@madiantin]

Fascinating! You taught me something I didn't know I needed to know.

[@metalhigh0043]

I remember reading somewhere that some wealthy ancient Romans would occasionally eat a species of toxic fish that would make them trip out, but it was more poisonous than psychedelic.

[@JohnGeorge-pw2xo]

Heroin addiction actually destroyed my life. I started doing drugs since my teenage, spent my whole life fighting heroin addiction. I suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Not until my wife recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 8 years totally clean. Much respect to mother nature the great magic shrooms.

[@ErnestoHorner88]

Can you help me with the reliable source 🙏. I'm 56 and have suffered for years with addiction, anxiety and severe ptsd, I got my panic attacks under control myself years ago and they have come back with a vengeance, I'm constantly trying to take full breaths but can't get the full satisfying breath out, it's absolutely crippling me, i live in Germany. I don't know much about these mushrooms. Really need a reliable source!! Can't wait to get them.

[@DonnDenisse]

YES very sure of Dr.benfungi. I have the same experience with anxiety, depression, PTSD and addiction and Mushrooms definitely made a huge huge difference to why am clean today.

[@MarcWilliams-dz7ik]

Yes he's Dr.benfungi.Shrooms to me is a natrual healer. I know a guy who has used mushrooms in the same way and they have really helped him. mah dudes have safe trips all.

[@VanRyan-bv7du]

I would like to know from those who have solved PTSD and anxiety, if they have solved it definitively and how to understand what quantity of psilocybin to take and when, for how long. And can you really heal without having an addiction? Thanks to everyone for helping me understand, I want to understand if it's something that can help me solve the problem (I have c-ptsd)

[@Iiisslogan-co6np]

From my experience it really works excellently! It doesnt even need to be a full hit. With potent shrooms 2-3 small ones will still make a difference. It will be a few hour cosy rumbling arount in bed time, not being able to sleep with a brain in full gear and some color effects on the walls but afterwards its just calm and you feel amazing and gain your freedom. Psilocybin is different dudes, its the only "drug" I would recommend to someone who genuinely wants to get better. There is no addiction, withdrawal, or negative side effects. It's just pure healing., far more effective than any anti-depressant. You can thank me later

[@cgavin1]

Male plant: Strong and versatile. Female plant: Intoxicating.

[@scottyd2262]

A lot like humans

[@bezahltersystemtroll5055]

you use both types for the fiber though, not just males 🤔

[@jonathanwells223]

@@bezahltersystemtroll5055 but what happens if a clothing shop catches fire and you only use the female fibers?

[@Mnbvcxzlkjhg1]

@@jonathanwells223 the same as with the male fiber. The psychoactive drug is in the buds and not in the stem. Or have you ever seen someone walk down the street puffing on a hemp stem?

[@karigrandii]

Thats mysogonistic man…

[@Chris-ki7rt]

Brian Muraresku's 'The Immortality Key' is great on this topic. Thanks toldinstoneguy, love your work.

[@JustMe-ob3nw]

Just got my book today! Going to bed now with it! Yay! Can’t wait to read it! 👏🏻👌🏻😊

[@craigsurette3438]

For an excellent deep dive into the use of mind altering substances in Antiquity, i highly recommend the Appendices on the subject in George Luck's excellent book on religion in the ancient world, Arcana Mundi Pharmakoi were brewing up all sorts of interesting stuff

[@Gremlin4498]

Oddly enough this will be very useful for my Minoan inspired Dungeons and Dragons game...

[@ryanschofield9507]

I could have spotted that sticky black residue a thousand yards away, resin literally sticks to everything and I'm not even surprised it survived over 2400 years lol

[@learrus]

My friends and I ate psychedelic seeds in the woods one night and part of my trip through out was about how ancient Greek philosopher used to go to the forest to trip balls then return with their new found knowledge and concepts to town after... And about how common people met at a big tabernacle once a year to collectively trip balls for their own insights

[@leahc5333]

Man I love your videos so so so much. Been binge watching these. So informational and well researched. Props to you man I hope you are making a good dollar out of all this effort

[@malachitucker3234]

What a good idea I never even knew I’d be interested in this

[@vikingdesigner1471]

This channel is the best, much appreciated good Doctor

[@liamp2869]

‘The Immortality Key’ by Brian Muraresku, fluent in Sanskrit/Ancient Greek etc and an ex-attorney provides a plethora of evidence for religious and recreational drug use in Ancient Society.

[@SynACK244]

Just got your book today! Loving it so far!!!

[@theroadhomefromwrestling1788]

I’ve been waiting for this information my entire life. Thank you. Drugs and Ancient History forever.

[@matthewjswider]

Read graham Hancock’s books. You’ll thank me later.

[@Latinarama]

Love how the thumbnail looks like a guy raving

[@Kid_Ikaris]

Great summary of the general agreed upon history. It's worth pointing out that there's been a lot of recent scholarship, especially around the Eleusinian mysteries, including the discovery of a picture of a vase (that was later destroyed I believe) depicting a woman holding what is unambiguously a mushroom, possibly to spike the wine also present in the picture. Nothing definitive (although truly little in History is) yet but it's an absolutely fascinating frontier of classicism.

[@Lucius1958]

An early exploration of ancient ritual drug use may be found in Robert Graves' essay, *"Centaurs' Food"* , which has some interesting insights...

[@MrInterestingthings]

Robert Graves is great . So Long to all That was a great read too !

[@blundy1]

Almost 100k. Well deserved and congratulations. Fantastic and informative content as usual.

[@susanhepburn6040]

Thank you for another interesting video!

[@gregsg2351]

Another concise video my friend I thank you for it.

[@autumnalscholar9453]

FYI: There's an excellent book on the subject. "The Chemical Muse" Well worth a read.

[@matthewjswider]

Author?

[@quorthonsinferno5119]

@@matthewjswider Here www.amazon.com/Chemical-Muse-Roots-Western-Civilization/dp/0312352492

[@Davidpostingshid]

I have straight A’s this semester and get high everyday. Getting high is the only thing keeping me from ending it all, man!

[@handsomeshea7942]

This is the video we all did not know we needed

[@domonator5000]

The most fascinating drug use to hear about in ancient times for me is psychedelics

[@Tsumami__]

I ritually purify myself in marijuana smoke every time I watch one of your videos, it’s an excellent accompaniment.

[@drakonidesthevigilant5155]

I can see your lips wrapped around the end of that joint and it's a good sight

[@ivang7164]

@@drakonidesthevigilant5155 damn bro lmao

[@revenone1077]

@@drakonidesthevigilant5155 my man is STARVING

[@mr.k7457]

@@drakonidesthevigilant5155 lmao the white knight goes black

[@jacobjonesofmagna]

@@drakonidesthevigilant5155 oh this man down bad huh

[@BrennanDemarest]

Another great video. Please don’t stop making these, they’re all fascinating.

[@floydoroid]

gotta find it funny how out of all of toldinstone's videos this is one of the most popular videos of his, if not *the* most.

[@nickhartman6372]

This was a fascinating video, I enjoyed every moment of it! Sometimes I wish I had pursued my love of history more and found a related job, it's the one topic that just never gets old for me. I pretty much immediately subscribed, I feel a binge coming on 😅 thank you for the excellent content!

[@jelkel25]

Seem to remember reading that cannabis was brewed into beer waaaay back. It would make sense, cannabis grows like a weed so you can just leave it to do its thing if you're nomadic or semi nomadic. I'd imagine that hunter gatherers observed deer eating the magic mushrooms (then drinking each other pee) so someone will have had to try them eventually pee drinking or otherwise!!!

[@youareright4917]

The Aztec and Native American leaders would eat peyote and their followers would drink the urine to get high before taking it themselves. Found that ritual in a book published by the University of Chicago.

[@AnyoneCanSee]

Thank you, very interesting. I love your videos. More than any other they give me a feel of what it might have been to be there. There are so many things I knew nothing whatsoever about.

[@perunlowtuned]

Ancient Egyptians also got high. Cocaine, marijuana and tobacco are found in those (in)famous "cocaine mummies", but most of all the plant called 'blue lotus'. We still don't know for sure what the effects were, but it was wide spread, which means not too expensive (unlike the aforementioned three). The higher the status you are, the higher you get!

[@davidletarte214]

imagine getting the munchies in the ancient world where there were no fritos nor funions... they'd find me passed out among the fig trees probly

[@GreedyOrange]

i ackschully googled that about a year ago!i didnt find anything good about it, so its very nice to see it in my feed,thanks for making it :3

[@adamwelch4336]

Imagine digging up a 1000 year old bong! I bet that guy got made fun of!😂😂😂

[@CHAS1422]

It always occurred to me that the lucrative frankincense and myrrh trade was not about incense, but rather its opiate additive. They smoked the early churches with it. Also it would explain why late Romans in the west became so passive, and spent all their money on incense.

[@kathryncarter6143]

Interesting. I've never heard that one. Do ya think the wise men brought this same stuff to Mary & Joseph?

[@alextaratsas9515]

I think I might be a late Roman from the west

[@tolrem]

Maybe that's where the meaning of the word "incensed" [furious] came from?

[@CHAS1422]

@@tolrem I looked up the history of the word "incensed"...that is the original cognate. Exactly!

[@codyyo2]

Frankincense and myrrh are psychoactive in their own right actually, that and their medicinal value is why they were so widely traded. People still use them for medicinal purposes to this day in the Middle East and Africa.

[@robertsansone1680]

Very interesting. Thank You. Incidentally, this is the first time I've heard that hemp reduces the sex drive.

[@jaybee9269]

Great content, my man!

[@adog3129]

6:11 the fact that it's fried specifically seems really significant. for thc to become edible, it needs to be cooked in fat, that's why edibles are made with butter/oil. so frying it would be one of the logical ways to get it into an easily metabolized form, although the high heat would definitely reduce the potency, hence having to eat a large quantity.

[@vasp99]

The Roman general Lucullus had a very successful military career in Asia and was reputed to consume various mushrooms for the intoxicating effect they caused .

[@HardRockMaster7577]

Hashassins couldn't be stopped with regular gunfire at close range, before they could kill or wound their target. So, the Colt 45 was a required sidearm for all officers in the Philippines.

[@mehmetdeniz773]

​@@HardRockMaster7577Filipino officers: "colt 45 and 2 zig zags, baby thats all we need, go to the, park after dark and smoke that jungle weed"

[@backalleycqc4790]

Now I know why this channel is called "Told In Stone" = "Told While Stoned" 🤔

[@genociderjill]

Amen

[@roberttelarket4934]

Back Alley: Very very very clever!

[@wolff.]

na its a typo lmao its "Told I'm Stoned"

[@backalleycqc4790]

@@wolff. 🤣🤣🤣 Yup, yours is better than mine 🌞👍

[@wolff.]

@@user-ud7ei6zv7i bot

[@stephenh3919]

Fun fact. Some claim Ergot poisoning explains the abandonment of the Marie Celeste

[@revert6417]

Scythian Hotbox sounds badass

[@ngurov]

Bedankt

[@Sk0p3r]

There is a reason why i like dionysus the most

[@bella3775]

This was super interesting! One question tho- what is the evidence that addictive quality of opium wasn’t known? To put it mildly, I’m finding that extremely hard to believe. Is it based on how widely opium was used? I hope not, because this would just prove my point.

[@slitheen3]

I wonder if it was known about but not very common, since the ways it was used in the past were typically a lot less concentrated than what we have today. If I recall correctly, opium addiction used to often be the product of long term, decades long, consistent use. It's a lot easier to abuse a substance once it's already been refined down for you by a lab. Another thought is ancient medicine was often intertwined with ritual, and opium was probably administered directly by a healer in a healing setting, which is another barrier to using enough of it, often enough, for its addictive properties to be apparent

[@bella3775]

@@slitheen3 You make a good point!

[@davidphoenix3593]

Maybe they didn't realize it was that addictive, because using it regularly wasn't seen as a problem as long as the supply was consistent and nobody really experienced withdrawal ? But probably addiction wasn't noticed because it was only used occasionally, for ceremonies and religious and spiritual rite's ....???

[@rodanzig]

Want to know more about Opium ? Read "Opium : A History" by Martin Booth . BTW I bought your book and am awaiting delivery .

[@lordcthulhu17]

My Friend wrote the book on canabis use in the ancient world!

Thanks

[@fuferito]

The spectacular ancient city of Afyon, in Turkey (Afyonkarahisar: Black Fortress of the Poppy) is named after the poppy; _afyon_ in Turkish.

[@telebubba5527]

It would be interesting what is was called before the Turks, because the Turks are not that ancient. They only arrived in the Middle Ages. The castle in the city was built by the Hittites around 1250 BCE. The place has been through many cultures and Empires since then and all the names it was given throughout those periodes should have reflected the same.

[@StudSupreme]

If hemp and opium plants were common in the Greco-Roman world, why did they disappear after the age of antiquity ended? One would think that the properties of hemp which lent themselves to the manufacture of clothing and the use of both plants for medicinal purposes would have survived. This is a fascinating discovery. Thank you for the video.

[@charlesthepaperman]

They did never disappear for there is plenty of evidence of said plants presence all throughout the ages 😀

[@shoshana-xs4cm]

Hemp rope used into 20th century

[@Alusnovalotus]

Hypocritical church authorities throughout Christendom. Whether Catholic or Protestant, anything that brought you joy that wasn’t in the Bible or could be ethically taxed was considered heresy. That’s why there are more drug addicts in the west than in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Not sure about Latin America but the ancient Inca weren’t addicts of coca like affluent people are now.

[@HENN3H]

@@RobinTheBot I think you responded to the wrong comment, but I hear you man. Kinda glad I'm not the only one bored enough to sift through this bowl of word salad!

[@StudSupreme]

@@charlesthepaperman That's not what I'm talking about. Yes, those plants still exist. But their use was widely accepted in antiquity and there were no concerns regarding narcotics addiction. Why did that change? And if they were legalized, could things go back to that state?

[@sk84lifeMS]

Perfect thumbnail

[@wolfiehampton727]

Damn I didn’t know they were chill like that

[@PickleRick65]

THANK YOU for pronouncing "Scythians" CORRECTLY

[@uma_ma2680]

4:15 literally just describes a hippy group in 1967 lol

[@sagapoetic8990]

So fascinating, thank you. It gives perspective, too, on our modern opioid crisis and also how most addictions stem from prescription meds -- ie drugs taken for health purposes. These plants have such varied properties and the context of how they have been used, misused, and not well understood -- even thousands of years later -- matter

[@masaokakihara9316]

The international "drug crisis" is home made by the "war on drugs", esp. with Reagan and the DEA. An open, legal way to obtain opiates and opioids, as well as controlled non-profit dispension, reduces related deaths close to zero, as the drug politics in Portugal have proven.

[@TurbineGuy]

The perspective should be the epidemic was caused by government prohibition

[@coltoncarpenter446]

Now this is how you get students into history

[@Dzanarika1]

😂😂😂👍👍👍👍

[@DiamandaHagan]

The Kurgan from Highlander shoulda been much more chill.

[@lizjoyce4846]

Extremely interesting thank you for this video