Overview
- Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry of heated-ethanol extracts revealed morphine, thebaine, papaverine, noscapine, and hydrocotarnine in the 2,500-year-old vessel.
- The 22-centimeter calcite vase bears inscriptions in Akkadian, Elamite, Old Persian, and Egyptian, with a Demotic note of roughly 1,200 milliliters capacity.
- Researchers say the finding echoes earlier opiate residues from New Kingdom vessels at Sedment, suggesting long-lived use across different social strata.
- The team posits that some alabaster jars from Tutankhamun’s tomb may contain opium, though those vessels at the Grand Egyptian Museum have not yet been analyzed.
- A 1933 study by Alfred Lucas noted dark, sticky residues in Tutankhamun’s alabaster jars that were not perfumes, and reports of ancient looters’ finger marks indicate valued contents beyond standard unguents.