During ancient times, the world was known for its brutality, a trait that persists in some regions today. In those bygone eras, violence was a common occurrence, often intertwined with the use of drugs. It appears that there were instances where the two elements merged. For instance, if you were a barbarian during the Classical period preparing to face the powerful Roman legions, the prospect of facing decapitation, disembowelment, or crucifixion upon defeat could make the idea of using chemical substances to enhance your performance quite appealing. A recent discovery in northern Europe sheds light on Germanic warriors who may have resorted to such practices.
Barbarian warriors in ancient Roman times may have used stimulants to aid their performance in battle, a study has proposed.
The practice is suggested by small, spoon-like objects fitted to warriors’ belts that have been found at various sites in northern Europe, according to the study published in the journal Praehistorische Zeitschrift. (Prehistoric Journal)
The authors conclude that the spoon-like fittings may have served as dispensers of stimulants for Germanic warriors going into battle.
In antiquity, the term “barbarian” referred to non-Roman peoples, often from tribes or cultures outside the territory Rome controlled, such as Germanic, Celtic and Hunnic groups.
There is, of course, no indication as to what these little spoons were used for, although they are said to be just the right size for a nasal snort of some kind of happy powder, the kind that fires a barbarian warrior up for a day of battle and pillage. Just what the doctor ordered for a barbarian army on the move, especially when they were facing the military equivalent of a Cuisinart.
But what kinds of powders may these warriors have been snorting?
[Researchers] found that Germanic peoples of the time likely would have had access to a wide range of substances that are capable of providing a stimulant effect, such as poppy, hops, hemp, henbane, belladonna and various fungi. These could have been consumed in liquid form—dissolved in alcohol, for example—or in powdered form.
That doesn’t seem like a good idea, grinding up various plants and sniffing up the powder, but when one has accepted the likelihood of dying by a sword through the neck, a little chemically-induced power-up may seem like the better odds. People in general back then didn’t have a long life expectancy, and when being sliced and diced by a Roman centurion was a possible future, we can hardly expect people to worry too much about snorting some henbane or foxglove.
