Like Gina Montana in Scarface, Barbarian soldiers potentially sniffed narcotics from dainty little drug spoons when heading into battle against the ferocious Roman army, according to new research. Somewhat classier than a rolled-up banknote, these ancient instruments were often attached to soldiers’ belts and may have been used to deliver hits of anything from opium to psychedelic fungi.
Used to denote the various tribal cultures that existed beyond the borders of the Roman Empire, the term Barbarian encompasses numerous Germanic, Celtic, and Thracian groups. Given that the Romans themselves are known to have consumed opium and various other drugs, the authors of a new study set out to determine if the same was true of the Barbarian foes that Rome’s legions so often encountered on the battlefield.
In the absence of any direct evidence for ancient substance use, the researchers say they “decided to look for indirect clues”, which they found in the form of hundreds of “small spoons, whose form and size excluded, for example, the function of a cosmetic utensil or a medical instrument.”
A total of 241 examples were identified at 116 Roman-era Germanic sites in Scandinavia, Germany, and Poland. Most measuring between 40 and 70 millimeters (1.6 to 2.8 inches) in length, the spoons feature either concave bowls or flat discs and were typically associated with men’s belts, despite not playing any role in the buckle mechanism.
Significantly, the spoons were consistently found alongside weapons and other items used in warfare, indicating that they were most likely a piece of military equipment. Based on all of these observations, the study authors conclude that “the spoon-ended fittings of the ends of the belt may have served as dispensers of stimulants for Germanic warriors.”
While it’s currently unclear exactly which psychoactive substances the Barbarians may have been into, the researchers note that exotic plants such as cannabis, deadly nightshade, and “devil’s trumpet” were available across much of Europe at the time. Similarly, psilocybin-containing magic mushrooms and the hallucinogenic ergot fungus could have been consumed via the little spoons, as could hops or opium.
Poisonous henbane seeds, meanwhile, may also have been ingested. Known to trigger intense rage, the seeds were ritualistically consumed within the Roman Empire and may have been used by the notorious “berserker” Norse warriors to help them excel on the battlefield during the Viking Age.
According to the study authors, ingesting the appropriate amount of the aforementioned substances may have helped Barbarian warriors overcome their fear and increase their energy levels when heading off to war. The spoons, therefore, may have been designed to dispense the ideal dose of certain drugs.
Moreover, the researchers suggest that battlefield dope might have been a staple of ancient warfare, leading to the creation of highly lucrative drug markets designed to supply soldiers of all armies during the Roman period. “Judging by our assessment of the degree of demand for stimulants in the Germanic armies of European Barbaricum, this must have been an important industry,” they conclude.
The study has been published in the journal Praehistorische Zeitschrift.
