A new study has revealed that ancient Egyptians consumed an alcoholic cocktail made with psychedelic drugs and bodily fluids. Researchers analyzed chemical traces inside a 2,200-year-old ceramic drinking mug found in Egypt.
The palm-sized mug features the head of the deity Bes, believed to protect women and children, especially during labor. The researchers discovered that ancient Egyptians consumed a fermented alcoholic drink made from fruit, mixed with psychoactive plant compounds to induce “dream-like visions.”
The concoction included human blood, breast milk, and mucous for added potency. It was flavored with honey, sesame seeds, pine nuts, licorice, and grapes to resemble blood, as reported by Daily Mail.
RELATED STORIES
Typically consumed in 90ml servings, the drink may have been used by the sick to induce prophetic dreams, according to study author Davide Tanasi from the University of South Florida (USF).
“At this point, we are 100 per cent certain that psychotropic substances were used for ‘incubation rituals’ connected with the cult of Bes,” he told the Mail.
“Incubation rituals are religious practices where people sleep in a sacred space to receive a dream from a deity that may provide healing.”
Around 2,000 years ago, the deity Bes was worshiped for protection, fertility, medicinal healing, and magical purification.
The Bes vessel analyzed in this study, dating back to the second century BC, is part of the Tampa Museum of Art’s collection in Florida. It was discovered in Egypt’s fertile Fayum district, known for its rich plant and animal life.
Professor Tanasi collaborated with researchers from the University of South Florida, the University of Trieste, and the University of Milan for the chemical and DNA analyses.
Researchers scraped samples from the inner walls of the Bes vessel to analyze its contents using various methods. They discovered that one of the cocktail ingredients was Peganum harmala, or Syrian rue, a plant native to the Mediterranean basin.
The seeds of this plant produce alkaloids harmine and harmaline, which induce “dream-like visions.” These visions are often “oneirophrenic,” causing confusion between reality and dreams.
The analysis also revealed the presence of a fermented fruit-based liquid and ingredients like honey or royal jelly.
Compounds from the licorice plant (Glycyrrhiza glabra) were found, indicating licorice cultivation in ancient Egypt.
Traces of wheat, sesame seeds, and fermentation yeasts such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, still used in baking and brewing today, were also detected.
Pinolenic acid, indicating a source rich in this fatty acid like pine nuts, was also present.
But most surprisingly was the discovery of “a high presence of human proteins within the residue,” the team say in their study.
This suggests the “deliberate addition of human fluids to the drink prepared for ritual purposes.”
“This includes fluids like breast milk, mucous fluids (oral or vaginal), and blood.”
One reason for consuming this concoction may have been to reenact the Myth of the Solar Eye, a significant event in Egyptian mythology. In the story, Bes calmed the bloodthirsty goddess Hathor by serving her an alcoholic beverage spiked with a plant-based drug.
“In the light of our results, it would be possible to infer that this Bes-vase was used for some sort of ritual of reenactment of what happened in a significant event in Egyptian myth,” the team say in their paper, newly published in Scientific Reports.
Prior to this analysis, experts speculated that Bes mugs might have been used for sacred water, milk, wine, or beer, making the discovery of this bizarre cocktail unexpected.
The study, for the first time, identifies the chemical signatures of the liquid found in the Tampa Museum of Art’s Bes mug.
The next step is to perform similar analyses on the fewer than 15 other Bes mugs, including those at the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam.
Professor Tanasi told the Mail that analyzing other Bes mugs, produced with the same mold as the Tampa one, could determine if there was a single recipe for this “magical potion.”
The Tampa Bes mug, on display at the Tampa Museum of Art in Florida, has been recreated as a to-scale 3D replica for public viewing.
“The 3D print can also be used for public outreach experiences with the public with visual impairments and cognitive disabilities,” Professor Tanasi added.
“Additionally, we were also able to calculate the amount of liquid that the original Bes mug contained, simply filling up with water the 3D print – about 90ml.”
