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in General Factchecking by Novice (700 points)
Researchers analyzed a 2,000-year-old Egyptian Bes mug and discovered traces of psychedelic drugs, alcohol, and bodily fluids, suggesting it was used in fertility rituals.

4o
ago by (170 points)
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I found another article to prove your point further. It is always very interesting to find out what exactly these ancient Egyptian cocktails, even if they are disgusting.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14096651/ancient-egyptian-cocktail-psychedelic-drugs.html
ago by (180 points)
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I think that it is a very cool subject that you chose your source did a good job of discussing the material.

4 Answers

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ago by (170 points)

I would say this statement is true. Reading more into this topic many news channels reported the same finding as the attached news source- such as CNN and Study Finds. 

https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/26/science/egyptian-bes-mug-hallucinogens/index.html#:~:text=Researchers%20have%20discovered%20the%20residues,imbibed%20hallucinogenic%20beverages%20during%20rituals.

https://studyfinds.org/psychedelic-cocktails-egyptian/

I also read more into the CNN article and found the study comes from University of Southern Florida with professor Davide Tanasi, this lead me to find another source reporting from an interview with Tanasi. 

https://health.wusf.usf.edu/health-news-florida/2025-01-09/usf-research-of-a-2-000-year-old-mug-shows-ancient-egyptians-used-hallucinogens

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ago by Newbie (280 points)
I believe this statement to be true. I found the original article for the University of South Florida written by Cassidy Demarten. The article discussed the process of David Tanasi and his team discovering the DNA in the mug. Tanasi is a professor and Director of Digital Exploration. Furthermore, I found Cassidy's public resume, discovering she has years of expertise in communication and journalism. The article also mentioned Branko Van open. After doing some research, I found that he focuses on the religious identification of Greek artifacts. Lastly, I found multiple news articles confirming the recent discoveries of psychedelics in Bes mugs.
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ago by Newbie (200 points)
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I'm impressed by your deep digging on the subject and that you were able to find a primary source on the claim. Your description of the article author also gives insight into the credibility of the study, further suggesting that this assertion is indeed true.
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ago by Newbie (200 points)

I believe this claim is true. I found articles by reputed publications Newsweek and the New York Times that reinforce the idea of Ancient Egyptians consuming psychedelics via handcrafted pottery. Both articles reference a study published in Scientific Reports, a journal routinely used for publishing findings of scientific analysis. The study details how traces of psychotropic substances were found in an Egyptian vase dated as originating from the second century. Within that vase were "various functional, bioactive, psychotropic, and medicinal substances, shedding light on the diverse components of a liquid concoction used for ritual practices in Ptolemaic Egypt" (Tanasi et al). Moreover, the publisher of this work, David Tanasi, has a Ph.D in classical archaeology. Hence, we can assume that he has studied the subject vigorously and understands the workings of his field. The sources I used to verify this claim are listed below:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-78721-8

https://www.newsweek.com/ancient-egyptians-drank-cocktail-psychedelic-body-fluid-alcohol-1987914

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/28/science/egyptian-psychedelic-mug.html

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9531-427X

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ago by Novice (530 points)
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I really like this answer! I appreciate the inclusion of multiple reputable news sources, especially those who specifically cited sources intended for scientific analysis and published by accredited archaeologists! The addition of that context has certainly made me want to delve further into this topic.
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ago by (180 points)

After researching this claim, I believe it is accurate. I found an article from the University of South Florida’s page detailing how a professor at this college found evidence that Egyptians did in fact drink Hallucinogenic drugs. That article also led me to another one published by Nature’s Scientific reports, also illustrating the findings from these ancient mugs called Bes mugs. I found that the Nature’s Scientific report illustrated in more detail than the University of South Florida’s article. The article included more about the entire process which led to uncovering the residue of psychedelic drugs. I wanted to look more into Nature’s Scientific reports page and see how credible it is, and after researching more about the website’s intentions, it is clear that this is a very credible page. Their page is dedicated to publishing original research in areas ranging from natural sciences to engineering and medicine, it is the 5th most cited journal in the world, and they offer expert peer reviews. I found another article by the Smithosonian magazine where they also summarize the same ideas while also providing other websites like Nature’s scientific reports and Tampa’s Museum of Art. Overall, I think this claim is true, and below are the links to the websites I looked at. 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-egyptians-drank-psychedelic-concoctions-from-this-2000-year-old-mug-study-finds-180985500/ 

https://www.usf.edu/news/2024/usf-professor-confirms-egyptians-drank-hallucinogenic-cocktails-in-ancient-rituals.aspx#:~:text=USF%20professor%20confirms%20Egyptians%20drank%20hallucinogenic%20cocktails%20in%20ancient%20rituals,-November%2014%2C%202024&text=A%20University%20of%20South%20Florida,ancient%20Egyptian%20rituals%20and%20practices

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-78721-8 

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