Florida Professor Discovers Hallucinogenic Cocktail Evidence In Ancient Egyptian Mug – News18

Last Updated:November 24, 2024, 10:00 IST

The beverage is believed to have been a blend of various medicinal and psychotropic ingredients, including Syrian rue, blue water lily and cleome species.

Egyptian mythology has always been a mysterious topic. In ancient times, the people of this African region followed bizarre rituals, many of which had divine connections. Davide Tanasi, a professor at the University of South Florida (USF), recently uncovered the truth behind a 2,000-year-old Egyptian mug that was donated to the Tampa Museum of Art in 1984. After analysing its inner surface, Tanasi and his team discovered that the mug once contained a psychedelic concoction, possibly used in a magical ritual, as reported by Fox News.

Tanasi and his team began their research on the mug in 2021. The upper portion of the cylindrical object features the head of Bes – an ancient god worshipped by many newlywed couples for fertility and childbirth, according to the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum.

Tanasi and his colleagues took a sample of tiny particles from inside the mug. Initially, they assumed the vessel was used to consume a basic alcoholic beverage. However, advanced DNA and chemical analysis revealed that the drink was, in fact, a “cocktail” containing rare substances.

Fox News reported that the beverage was a mix of multiple medicinal and psychotropic components, such as Syrian rue, blue water lily and cleome species. Honey, royal jelly, sesame seeds, pine nuts, oil from Mediterranean pine and liquorice were also included as flavouring agents.

The most shocking findings were human fluids, such as blood, breast milk and mucus. Given the presence of these bodily fluids, Tanasi and his team speculated that the mixture was part of an ancient ritual. “It was then a magical potion, meant to inebriate, satiate and induce hallucinations,” the professor told Fox News, adding, “At this point, we believe the psychotropic substances found in it were used for ‘incubation rituals’ connected with the cult of Bes. Incubation rituals are religious practices where people sleep in a sacred space to receive a dream from a deity, which may provide healing or an oracle.”

The mysterious mug can now be seen at the iconic Tampa Museum of Art, exhibited in the special section Prelude: An Introduction to the Permanent Collection. Going forward, Tanasi plans to conduct the same analysis on another Bes mug held at the Allan Pierson Museum in Amsterdam.