Marijuana Found at Ancient Temple in Israel
Judahite Shrine of Tel Arad from 8th century B.C.E. has residue of cannabis and of frankincense
A study published in Tel Aviv reveals that Marijuana residues were found at the shrine of Tel Arad. The residues from two altars were analyzed at two labs, revealing Frankincense and, on one altar, Marijuana mixed with dung. As authors Eran Arie, Baruch Rosen, and Dvory Namdar speculate, the animal dung was probably used to heat hashish (a dried resin of cannabis), enabling its effects to spread among worshippers. They conclude, “This is the first known evidence of hallucinogenic substance found in the Kingdom of Judah.”
Tel Arad was excavated in the 1960’s. As Miriam Aharoni, Ze’ev Herzog, and Anson F. Rainey noted in their 1987 article (“Arad—An Ancient Israelite Fortress with a Temple to Yahweh”, , March/April 1987), The Israelite fortress in Tel Arad contained the first Israelite temple ever discovered in an archaeological excavation. They discuss how Solomon probably built the first fortress on the site in the tenth century B.C.E.
Frankincense was known to be used as incense in ancient ritual practices, but not necessarily among the Yahweh worshippers at that time. Derived from a variety of African tree, it was a highly valued trade good. As Menahem Haran notes (“Altar-Ed States”, Bible Review, February, 1995) “Whether incense was used in the most ancient Israelite rituals has been debated in modern research.” He notes the expense and the extensive “incense route” frankincense would have had to travel to reach the ancient Israelites. The analysis of the residue on these altars is an indicator that frankincense was probably used religiously at Tel Arad.
The laboratory analysis of the residues revealed plants that were present in the shrine in the eighth century B.C.E., helping to enrich modern knowledge of the religious practices of the ancient Judahites.
Read more in Bible History Daily:
Ancient Bronze Marvels at Magdala Excavations at Magdala, hometown of Mary Magdalene on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, have uncovered a 2,000-year-old decorated bronze incense shovel and a bronze jug.
Frankincense and Other Resins Were Used in Roman Burials Across Britain Archaeologists examining organic residues in Roman burials have for the first time confirmed the use of resins, including frankincense, in Roman funeral rites in Britain. In the Bible, frankincense was one of the gifts, along with gold and myrrh, the three magi presented to Jesus.
Why Did the Magi Bring Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh? Were the gifts of the magi meant to save Jesus from the pain of arthritis? It’s possible, according to researchers at Cardiff University in Wales who have been studying the medical uses of frankincense.
The BAS Library includes online access to more than 9,000 articles by world-renowned experts and 22,000 gorgeous color photos from…
- 45 years of Biblical Archaeology Review
- 20 years of Bible Review, critical interpretations of Biblical texts
- 8 years of Archaeology Odyssey, exploring the ancient roots of the Western world
- The fully-searchable New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land, an authoritative work of the past century of archaeological study
- Video lectures from world-renowned experts
- Four books published by BAS and the Smithsonian Institution
Plus, you get access to so much more from your All-Access pass:
Biblical Archaeology Review print edition:
Enjoy the same current issues in glorious, traditional, full-color print …
- One year of print issues of Biblical Archaeology Review magazine
Biblical Archaeology Review tablet edition:
Stay on top of the latest research! You get …
- One year of issues of Biblical Archaeology Review magazine, all on your iPhone, iPad, Android, or Kindle Fire
- Instant access to the complete tablet edition back-issue catalog of BAR from the January/February 2011 issue forward
All of this rich and detailed scholarship is available to you—right now—by buying a special All-Access pass.
That’s right: when you purchase your All-Access pass, you get a ticket to four decades of study, insight and discovery. Why not join us right now and start your own exploration?
Whether you’re researching a paper, preparing a sermon, deepening your understanding of Scripture or history, or simply marveling at the complexity of the Bible – the most important book in history—the BAS All-Access pass is an invaluable tool that cannot be matched anywhere else.
You'll get to experience all the discoveries and debate in beautiful clarity with Biblical Archaeology Review, anytime, anywhere! And the Library is fully searchable by topic, author, title and keyword, as well as the Special Collections like this one.
The All-Access pass is the way to explore Bible history and biblical archaeology.
Related Posts
Must-Read Free eBooks
Want more Bible history?
Sign up to receive our email newsletter and never miss an update.
All Access Pass
All Access Pass
Dig into the illuminating world of the Bible with a BAS All-Access membership. Combine a one-year tablet and print subscription to BAR with membership in the BAS Library to start your journey into the ancient past today!
Subscribe Today
Dung burns slowly with low heat which is what you want to use when you burn hashish. People all over the world use dung to cook their food as well, so yes, it’s likely used to burn incense too.
“As authors Eran Arie, Baruch Rosen, and Dvory Namdar speculate, the animal dung was probably used to heat hashish (a dried resin of cannabis), enabling its effects to spread among worshippers.”
Hmmm…… I would seriously doubt that dung would have enough heat to cause the reaction you have mentioned……. Certainly not enough to reach an entire congregation. There must be another explanation………
From the original article – https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03344355.2020.1732046 – on which this BAR article is based:
“The temperature required for decarboxylation of the cannabis phytocannabinoids into their neutral and active form is mild, not exceeding 150°C. This could be achieved by burning of animal dung-cake (Kenoyer 1994, Shahack-Gross 2011).”
Am I understanding this correctly? “Frankincense was known to be used as incense in ancient ritual practices, but not necessarily among the Yahweh worshippers.” Are you saying that we didn’t know for sure Yahweh worshippers used frankincense in their worship? The recipe for the incense they used in the tabernacle is part of the law (e.g. Exodus 30:34, Lev. 2:1,2; 6:15…)
Good clarifying question. From the study: “Until the present research, the only archaeological evidence of frankincense in the southern Levant was a small Persian period limestone altar found at Tel Lachish.”