Experts Unearth 2,400-Year-Old Solid Gold Bongs In Southern Russia
Among the items were a pair of gold vessels in the shape of a bucket, and they were placed upside down in the chamber. In addition to the vessels, there were three cups, a bracelet, a finger ring and two neck rings, all of which were made of gold. In total, the well-preserved artifacts weighed almost seven pounds.
Belinski requested from criminologists to analyze the black residue that was found within the gold vessels. The results revealed that the residue was that of cannabis and opium, confirming accounts written by Herodotus of the drug-based activities of the Scythians.
High Plains Drifters
http://tinyurl.com/Scythians
this link has some good pictures of the treasure: http://tinyurl.com/pec2ujo
Scythians are a related tribe of the Tocharians, who lived in the Tarim Basin which is on the Silk Road in western China. The Tocharians spoke an Indo-european language, were Buddhists, and were conquered by the Uigher tribes just over a thousand years ago. Take a look at photos of modern Uighers – blue and green eyes are common – a legacy of the Tocharians.
Excavation of the fifteen-hundred year old grave of a high-status Tocharian man revealed the following – he was over six feet tall, had fair hair and blue eyes, and had about two lbs. of cured and trimmed cannabis flowers (bud) to take with him to the afterlife.
Clearly these people had an active cannabis culture.
Not surprisingly, the police were called in to identify the residue. I wonder if any mummies were arrested.
then it just has to be said…
“they arrested my mummy!”
Funny thing occurred to me: If the people who discovered the bong were to bring that priceless artifact to the US of A, they’d be guilty of a federal crime and would probably be arrested on the spot when trying to get it through customs.
GIs coming home from Thailand back during WWVN could bring bongs back in their gear but the bong had to be disassembled (only 2 parts) and unused. A good bamboo bong is hard to beat.
I am forever in debt to the fine young gentleman in the band The Black Hornets that lived behind the F4 Phantom Bar in Takhli (1973) that taught me how to use a bong. A good group of Thai hippees and really good musicians.
Only 2400 years old? Clearly we don’t know enough about this new-fangled “marijuana” drug!