A hollow bone was the key. Inside, hundreds of seeds of black henbane (Hyoscyamus Niger), also known as crazy grass, were stored for hundreds of years, proving that the ancient Romans deliberately collected and consumed this silver.
Archaeologists, however, still do not know for sure whether they used it as medicine or as a narcotic. Black henbane is an herb that has been used since ancient times for both its healing properties and its hallucinogenic effects. However, until now no conclusive evidence of its use in Ancient Rome had been found.
The seeds appeared in a rural settlement discovered in Houten-Castellum, in the Netherlands. “Because it can grow in and around villages, its seeds can end up in archaeological sites naturally, without human intervention,” says Dr. Maaike Groot of the Free University of Berlin.
In an article published in the journal Antiquity, Groot and his team explain that the unequivocal evidence pointing to their intentional use is that the seeds were placed inside a hollowed sheep or goat bone sealed with a plug of black birch bark tar.
Previous research had suggested that the bone could have been a pipe used to smoke henbane, but the lack of evidence of burning implies that it was rather a container to store the seeds of this poisonous plant, specialists believe.
Locacia grass thrives naturally on land cultivated by farming communities, so it is often difficult to say whether its appearance in archaeological contexts indicates intentional use. “That’s why it is usually classified among wild plants and weeds in archaeobotanical studies,” says Groot.
Archaeologists have only discovered four other cases of black henbane in northwestern Europe that indicate it was being used voluntarily. And only one of them, from medieval Denmark, was found inside a container. “The new find is unique and provides unequivocal proof of the intentional use of seeds of this plant in the Roman Netherlands,” says the expert.
Classical writers such as Pliny the Elder discussed the plant’s medical applications in their works, suggesting that black henbane was used for medicinal rather than recreational purposes in Ancient Rome. “This would indicate that Roman practices extended even to rural communities on the periphery of the Empire,” notes Groot.
Throughout history, locoweed has been used to treat delirium tremens, epilepsy, insomnia, night terrors, asthmatic bronchitis… Still, it is also true that in high doses it becomes a narcotic. Pedanius Dioscorides prescribed it as an analgesic and sleeping pill in the 1st century after Christ.
During the Middle Ages, henbane became known as the “witches’ herb” and its use to make concoctions, potions, ointments or love filters became very popular. Some historians point out that, when its seeds were burned, the smoke that came out drugged the patients and gave them the sensation of flying, which would have contributed to creating the myth of witches flying on their brooms.
“Our study contributes to the discussion about how to distinguish between a weed that ends up naturally in archaeobotanical assemblages and a plant used intentionally by people,” says Dr. Groot. “We maintain that future finds of black henbane should be studied taking into account the context of the find and its relationship with other medicinal plants,” she concludes.
