Ancient Pot Stash

Posted by Miss Cellania in Odd News on December 4, 2008 at 11:14 am


A 2,700-year-old grave unearthed in the Gobi Desert near Turpan, China revealed the world’s oldest marijuana stash! The grave belonged to a blue-eyed Caucasian man buried with a number of valuable items.

Scientists originally thought the plant material in the grave was coriander, but microscopic botanical analysis of the bowl contents, along with genetic testing, revealed that it was cannabis.

The size of seeds mixed in with the leaves, along with their color and other characteristics, indicate the marijuana came from a cultivated strain. Before the burial, someone had carefully picked out all of the male plant parts, which are less psychoactive, so Russo and his team believe there is little doubt as to why the cannabis was grown.

Nearly two pounds of pot were found in the grave. No, it’s not fresh enough to get anyone high. Link -Thanks, Jorge Garcia!

(image credit: David Potter/Oxford University Press)


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COMMENT

19 comments to "Ancient Pot Stash"

  1. Evilbeagle
    December 4th, 2008 at 11:25 am

    Two pounds!!!???

    I'm just going to shut up now for the sake of my reputation.

  2. JMM
    December 4th, 2008 at 11:48 am

    Were there any ancient Cheetos nearby?

  3. gtron
    December 4th, 2008 at 12:38 pm

    are they selling the seeds?

  4. Gauldar
    December 4th, 2008 at 12:46 pm

    Would be awesome if they are able to regrow this ancient vegitation and see what evolutionary changes there have been to this plant.

  5. Robolasse
    December 4th, 2008 at 2:04 pm

    Probably a gang related burial.

  6. Scooter
    December 4th, 2008 at 2:06 pm

    I second the growing of the seeds... for uh, scientific research into the strength of pot. yeah, that sounds like a plausible excuse.

  7. Gauldar
    December 4th, 2008 at 2:20 pm

    Scooter, hey! Research first, then get stoned later!

  8. gtron
    December 4th, 2008 at 3:04 pm

    well, it WAS the University of BC in Vancouver that was studying (in the late 80's) the genetic modification of this plant (under the auspices of cancer pain therapy research, I believe), when there came about leaks of this enhanced dope to the street. My introduction to it was called Kimo (as in Chemotherapy), I got it from the guy worked next door in the antique shop - he was always worried about distributing it because none of us had ever had anything this potent, and he was one degree of separation from the Uni... within five years BC Bud was a world wide phenom. So, research done.
    seriously though - could those seeds grow after so long?
    and who was blue-eyes? some shaman?

  9. Ali S.
    December 4th, 2008 at 3:05 pm

    @ Gaulder

    I'll order a deep dish pizza! Who wants Pepperoni?

  10. Scooter
    December 4th, 2008 at 3:48 pm

    I could have sworn that Pot was native to North America. Did my teachers all lie to me? Will they find potatoes in the Gobe desert next?

    but yeah, i'd really like to know how much the THC content of pot has changed since it was first used.

  11. Padraig
    December 4th, 2008 at 5:10 pm

    @Scooter: pot grew (and grows) all over the world. It would be kinda odd if it stemmed from America, seeing Europeans were already twirling ropes from it before an "America" even existed.

  12. Gellner
    December 4th, 2008 at 7:47 pm

    Scooter, not sure where that info comes from, pot is most certainly not native to N.America. I'd hazard a guess that it's part of the U.S.'s misinformation campaign against anything they don't agree with.

    I, for one, think this is the best story I've read on Neatorama to date. Good post and well done!

  13. me
    December 4th, 2008 at 8:30 pm

    A distant relative to Johnny Appleseed?

  14. mrmuggles
    December 4th, 2008 at 9:56 pm

    Yeah, I guess it's pretty dry.
    Well, they were dying young but at least happy. :D

  15. buddhaflow
    December 4th, 2008 at 10:32 pm

    Two pounds? I hope they throw his criminal ass in prison. I don't care how long he's been dead, he deserves a long sentence. He was probably planning on pushing it to some school kids.

    ...

    Seriously, when people look back in the future at how we treat drug users today, they will consider it the same way we consider, say, the Inquisition, torture techniques of the Medieval ages, locking people in unheated and unlit dungeons, etc. etc. It will be seen as a shockingly cruel, barbaric and stupid practice, and people will wonder how a people that considered themselves "civilized" could do it.

  16. Melvin
    December 4th, 2008 at 11:37 pm

    I wonder what the street value would have been back then.

  17. PancakeMan
    December 5th, 2008 at 12:25 am

    They found it near a carving that said "I'm just holding it for a friend".

    I'm expecting the story some time in the future:
    "2,700 Year Old Pot Sold At Auction, Becomes Most Expensive Dime Bag Ever".

  18. Scooter
    December 5th, 2008 at 11:18 am

    I'm probably thinking of tabacco, which i think is worse than Pot any day.

  19. Dolly
    December 6th, 2008 at 11:51 am

    This is one of the famous "mummies of Urumchi," an absolutely fascinating book about which is available, Written by well-known textile expert Elizabeth Wayland Barber. Here's what Amazon says about it -

    The 2000-year-old mummies of Ürümchi, found in central Asia along the famed Silk Road trading route, are so well preserved as to show clearly that they seem to be of Caucasoid origin. Where did these people come from? Where did they go? You can find their pale-skinned, light-haired descendents among the people of the region, but the story of their presence in this forbidding land leaves more mysteries than it answers. Mass migrations during the Bronze Age scattered many peoples across Europe and Asia, and these startlingly lively-looking mummies may help answer some questions about this period of human history. Their intact, fantastically colored and patterned clothing captures much of author Elizabeth Wayland Barber's attention--she is an expert on prehistoric textiles. Her enthusiastic descriptions of the sewing skills of these migrant people, while focusing on details, lend an immediacy to this fascinating tale. Black-and-white as well as color photos, maps, and diagrams illustrate Barber's colorful tale of anthropology (Therese Littleton).

    The Chinese government has stopped allowing people to study these mummies because of their campaign to rewrite history and claim that this region of China has "always been part of China." (Sound familiar? That's what they say about Tibet, also). They hate the "Caucasian" aspect of these people (red and blond hair, blue eyes, etc.). I can't recommend this book highly enough to anyone interested in anthropology, history, human origins, arts and crafts, even. It's a page turner, which is odd for a book written about what could be a dry and academic subject. Barber brings it all to life.


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