Romans kept poisonous, narcotic seeds concealed in bone vials, new discovery reveals

[Judi Lynn]

1. Evidence of the intentional use of black henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) in the Roman Netherlands

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 February 2024

Maaike Groot
Open the ORCID record for Maaike Groot[Opens in a new window]
,
Martijn van Haasteren
and
Laura I. Kooistra


The remains of black henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) are relatively common at archaeological sites as it grows naturally around settlements in north-western Europe. All parts of the plant may be used as a medicine or a narcotic but its natural prevalence in built environments makes it difficult to interpret any intentionality behind its presence in the archaeological record. Evidence of the deliberate collection and use of black henbane seeds in the Roman Netherlands is presented here for the first time. Examination of Classical texts and interrogation of the archaeobotanical data allow the authors to place the discovery at Houten-Castellum of a hollowed bone containing hundreds of black henbane seeds within the context of the wider Roman understanding of the plant and its properties.

Introduction
Black henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) is an extremely poisonous plant species that can also be used as a medicinal or psychoactive drug. It is a ruderal species, preferring dry, nutrient-rich natural and anthropogenic habitats on disturbed soils (Weeda et al. Reference Weeda, Westra, Westra and Westra1988: 187). Macrofossils of black henbane are found in numerous archaeological features in north-western Europe from the Neolithic onwards (e.g. Otte & Mattonet Reference Otte, Mattonet and Brandes2001; Herbig Reference Herbig, Stobbe and Tegtmeier2012; RADAR, 2018 data). Due to the occurrence of black henbane as a weed in and around settlements, it is notoriously difficult to interpret the significance of these finds, although some archaeological evidence does suggest that its psychoactive properties were understood and exploited by people (e.g. Knörzer Reference Knörzer1965; Penz et al. Reference Pentz, Baastrup, Karg and Mannering2009; Herbig Reference Herbig, Stobbe and Tegtmeier2012).

The recent (2017) discovery of a sheep/goat bone that had been hollowed out, sealed on one side by a plug of a black material and filled with hundreds of black henbane seeds provides an opportunity to gain new insight into the historical use of this species. Bioarchaeological analysis of the bone, which was found at the Roman rural site of Houten-Castellum in the Netherlands, allows us to assess the different interpretations of black henbane within this region and the wider Empire. In this article, we explore Roman-period finds of black henbane from the Netherlands and descriptions of this species in Classical texts, its occurrence and possible uses. We consider the bone container from Houten-Castellum, its context and the results of its analysis within the broader argument for the intentional use of black henbane in the past.

Black henbane: weed, drug or medicinal plant?
Black henbane is indigenous to Europe and Asia and belongs to the Solanaceae family—the nightshades. Nowadays the species is scarce in the Netherlands, but it may be encountered in ruderal habitats—locations where the soil is disturbed and nutrients are added by the action of humans, animals, water or erosion (Weeda & Schaminée Reference Weeda, Schaminée, Schaminée, Weeda and Westhoff1998: 247–54). The natural habitats of this plant species are, for example, river areas and coastal zones where it is mainly found on dry, calcareous and very nutrient-rich sand and clay soils (Weeda et al. Reference Weeda, Westra, Westra and Westra1988: 187). Black henbane also thrives in settlement areas, especially on dunghills and in nutrient-rich locations in vegetable gardens.

More:
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/evidence-of-the-intentional-use-of-black-henbane-hyoscyamus-niger-in-the-roman-netherlands/A06E000B17E1642C878E469157D5131C