Archaeologists have investigated an approximately 2,800-year-old tomb belonging to members of the Scythians at the Tunnug 1 archaeological site in the Uyuk Valley of southern Siberia. The Scythians were a nomadic people known for their horsemanship, mounted warfare and distinctive art.

More than 1,400 cannabis seeds were discovered in the tomb, suggesting that the Scythians were already familiar with the plant.

Well-preserved human hair was also found in the tomb. Analysis revealed the presence of THC and CBN. The two compounds detected in the hair provide evidence that the Scythians used cannabis for its psychoactive effects.

Researchers believe that cannabis may have been part of funerary or religious rituals.

The discovery confirms that people were using cannabis as early as the Early Iron Age, around 800 BC. It also suggests that, in addition to its practical uses (fibres, oil and seeds), cannabis played a ritual and psychoactive role.

Researchers believe that people began cultivating cannabis in East Asia as early as around 4000 BC. The plant was initially grown not for its psychoactive effects, but for its oil-rich seeds. Cannabis was subsequently spread by humans from east to west.

Source

Gino Gaspari, Kseniia Boxleitner (Ashastina) and Robert N. Spengler, Direct evidence for psychoactive cannabis use 2,800 years ago, Science, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, 5. 11. 2026.

Jack Guy, Earliest evidence of cannabis use found in ancient Siberian tomb, CNN, https://edition.cnn.com/2026/11/05/science/ancient-cannabis-siberia-scli-intl, 5. 11. 2026.