Study Suggests Ancient Germanic Warriors Used Drugs Before Battle

Researchers propose that spoon-like artifacts found with weapons indicate stimulant use to enhance performance during Roman-era conflicts.

Polish researchers analyzed 241 spoon-shaped artifacts found at 116 archaeological sites in Northern Europe, dating to the Roman period.
The small spoons, often attached to warrior belts and found alongside weapons, are hypothesized to have been used for measuring stimulant doses.
Possible substances available to Germanic tribes at the time included opium, cannabis, henbane, belladonna, and hallucinogenic fungi.
The study challenges the assumption that ancient drug use was limited to Mediterranean civilizations like Greece and Rome.
If confirmed, the findings could reveal a previously unknown aspect of wartime practices and economies in ancient Northern Europe.