Scientists discover Stone Age drug paraphernalia

From the Telegraph, describing finds made by archeologists in the Caribbean:

They found ceramic bowls, as well as tubes for inhaling drug fumes or powders, which appear to have originated in South America between 100BC and 400BC and were then carried 400 miles to the islands.

While the use of such paraphernalia for inhaling drugs is well-known, the age of the bowls has thrown new light on how long humans have been taking drugs.

We've taken drugs for even longer than that — the kykeon of the Eleusinian Mysteries was almost certainly narcotic if not psychedelic, as was the Vedic Soma — but I think the point is that at the same time the Greeks were getting sloshed on mystery juice there were more primitive groups of people using drugs, which suggests that equivalent use had been going on for thousands of years before.

Stone Age man took drugs, say scientists [Telegraph.co.uk via Dosenation]

Image: [Ponce.inter.edu]

[#1 posted by bardfinn , October 20, 2008 8:53 AM]

I think all it took was for someone to try a berry or a mushroom, and to remember where it was and what colour it was, and what season it was.

[#2 posted by OM , October 20, 2008 2:05 PM]

...I'm disappointed in you guys. How could you pass up a clasic headline as this:

"Scientists discover it was really the Stoned Age!"

...Someone needs to edit the "Flintston" commercial so it's now Fred & Barney toking out behind the house as pennance.