Archaeologists have for the first time unearthed complete preserved cannabis plants at an ancient burial site in northwest China.
13 plants – believed to be 2,400-2,800 years old – were recovered in Turpan Basin by archaeologist Hongen Jiang and his team, who wrote a report published in Economic Botany.
The cannabis plants unearthed via Hongen Jiang / Nat Geo
The metre-long-odd plants were laid diagonally across the chest of the body of a man Jiang says was about 35 years old with Caucasian features.
While remnants of cannabis plants have been found at other burials in the area, the unique discovery of the complete plants confirms that the cannabis was locally grown due to its freshness.
The discovery adds to growing evidence that consuming cannabis was “very popular” in the Eurasian Steppe in ancient times, said Jiang.
“The burial is one of 240 graves excavated at the Jiayi cemetery in Turpan, and is associated with the Subeixi culture (also known as the Gushi Kingdom) that occupied the area between roughly 3,000 to 2,000 years ago. At the time, Turpan’s desert oasis was an important stop on the Silk Road.
Cannabis plant parts have been found in a few other Turpan burials, most notably in a contemporaneous burial in nearby Yanghai cemetery discovered nearly a decade ago, which contained close to two pounds of cannabis seeds and powdered leaves.”
Talk about some dusty AF cones, hey.
