The black henbane or mad herb (Hyoscyamus niger) is a highly toxic plant that can also be used for medicinal or psychoactive purposes. Its remains are common in archaeological sites in Northwestern Europe as it grows wild near human settlements, making it difficult to infer whether its presence in the archaeological record is due to intentional use.
However, a recent discovery at the Roman site of Houten-Castellum in the Netherlands provides new evidence of the deliberate use of the seeds of this species.
At this site, inhabited from the Iron Age to the Roman period, a closed bone object containing hundreds of black henbane seeds was found.
Bioarchaeological analysis determined that it was the hollow shaft of a sheep or goat femur, sealed at one end with birch bark tar. The presence of hyoscyamine in the tar indicates that the seeds were black henbane.
The ceramic dating of the deposit where this object was found corresponds to the 1st-2nd centuries AD. This deposit also contained offerings such as ritual ceramics and animal bones, suggesting an intentional deposit. Additionally, in another offering deposit from the same site and time, a complete black henbane inflorescence was found.
Classical texts describe the medicinal use of this plant. Charred seeds were found alongside other medicinal species in a 1st-century AD Roman hospital in Neuss, Germany. Likewise, black henbane seeds were found in a leather pouch in a Viking woman’s grave in Denmark.
Analysis demonstrated that black henbane was frequently associated with 13 other species with potential medicinal or symbolic uses at 83 Roman sites in the Netherlands. This suggests that they may not have always grown naturally but could have been cultivated.
In conclusion, these new findings provide solid evidence of the deliberate use of black henbane seeds in the Roman period. Their frequent association with other plants of medicinal use suggests that they should not be dismissed as wild plants, and their discovery contexts require careful analysis to infer intentional human uses.
Archaeobotany thus provides new insights into the knowledge and use of this psychoactive plant in the ancient world.
Sources
Groot M, van Haasteren M, Kooistra LI. Evidence of the intentional use of black henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) in the Roman Netherlands. Antiquity. Published online 2024:1-16. doi:10.15184/aqy.2024.5
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