Ancient Steroids

Tiny spoon-shaped artifacts found in Roman-era graves across northern Europe are raising intriguing questions about ancient warfare.

In a new study, researchers suggested that these mysterious objects, often found with warriors’ belts, may have been used to dispense stimulants and potentially give the Germanic fighters an edge in battle.

The utensil “was a common part of a warrior’s armor, and from here pharmacological stimulation of warriors in the face of stress and exertion was the order of the day,” wrote researchers from Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in their study, according to Science Alert.

The implements measure just 1.6 to 2.8 inches long and feature a tiny concave bowl or flat disk at one end. The research team found them at graves and war-related sites in Scandinavia, Germany, and Poland, adding that the artifacts were typically attached to belts but had no functional role in the clothing.

They cataloged 241 examples from 116 sites and noted their consistent association with weaponry and sacrificial contexts.

The study explores the possibility that these spoons were used to measure and administer stimulants in powdered or liquid form.

Germanic warriors may have had access to a variety of substances, including poppy, hops, hemp, belladonna, henbane, and fungi, such as datura. These natural compounds could have been dissolved in alcohol or consumed directly to enhance alertness and reduce fear before combat.

Such a hypothesis challenges assumptions about drug use among ancient European cultures.

While opium and other narcotics are well-documented in Greece and Rome, historians have traditionally believed the barbarians relied solely on alcohol, Newsweek noted.

“We asked ourselves whether the consumption of stimulants in the barbarian world of the Roman period was indeed absent,” the researchers noted in their paper.

The findings draw parallels to more recent history, such as the use of amphetamines and methamphetamines by soldiers in World Wars I and II.

The authors acknowledge the need for direct evidence, such as chemical residues, to confirm their hypothesis. Still, the findings suggest ancient warriors might have had more sophisticated preparations than previously thought.