Cannabis Incense in Ancient Israel?
The shrine at Tel Arad, rebuilt from original finds and displayed at the Israel Museum. The two altars are shown, one with frankincense residue (left) and one with cannabis residue (right). Credit: Laura Lachman
By Adam R. Hemmings
In late May 2020, a team comprised of researchers from the Israel Museum and the Volcani Center, Israel, made a remarkable discovery: cannabis residue upon an ancient incense altar. The study, published in Tel Aviv, demonstrated that through analysis of remains atop two altars from the Judahite Shrine at Tel Arad, west of the Dead Sea, scientists identified frankincense on one and cannabis on the other. It marks the first such discovery of cannabis in a Judahite context.
Cannabis, of course, is well-known for its psychoactive effects, and was possibly used in Japan as early as 8000 BCE. Frankincense, to a lesser extent, also seems to have certain mind altering effects, although these are currently not well understood. The existence of both in a religious environment, perhaps paints a picture where the priests used these substances to commune in their minds with the deity being worshipped.
