CSIC researchers took part in an international study that assesses three well-preserved sickles found at La Marmotta in Italy, one of Europe’s oldest Neolithic settlements. The investigation revealed several plant species that may have held psychoactive, therapeutic, or narcotic uses. Analyzing these three tools allowed scholars to reconstruct daily life dating back more than 7,500 years.
“This work represents a global, interdisciplinary approach to the three best-preserved sickles, extending beyond La Marmotta to archeology as a whole. The study examined the plant materials chosen for the handles, the adhesive used to join the flint teeth, the tooth shapes, and ultimately the methods of use for these sickles,” explains Juan F. Gibaja, a CSIC researcher at the Spanish School of History and Archeology in Rome. (Nature)
Plant pollen and phytoliths offer unique insights in archaeology. Researchers could examine tools associated with work in ancient grain fields over seven millennia old. “Archaeologists uncover villages, workshops, tombs, and buildings with possible political or ritual roles. Yet they rarely capture what ancient crops looked like. The data embedded in these sickles was therefore both important and innovative,” notes Gibaja. (Nature)
Neolithic life revealed by three sickles
The team identified the materials used for the handles and the glue that secured them. They also established that the sickle teeth were crafted from varieties of flint sourced from the Apennines and Gargano mines, located hundreds of kilometers away from the settlement site. (Nature)
The study also examined marks on the handles, confirming that the sickles were employed for harvesting household grains, specifically barley and wheat, and for weed control in fields, based on microscopic analysis. (Nature)
Among the pollen grains recovered, researchers were surprised to find plants from a particular genus, oenathe, which are aquatic and common in the lake environment around Bracciano. These species can cause poisoning when consumed fresh in small quantities. While scientists caution that this pollen might have arrived after the sickles were used, they do not rule out the possibility that the tools aided in collecting medicinal or narcotic herbs. (Nature)
“La Marmotta is Europe’s oldest site showing signs of indigenous opium use, so it’s not surprising that psychoactive species exist in this context,” adds Mario Mineo, a researcher at the Museo della Civiltà in Rome. (Nature)
The research was made possible through an agreement between CSIC and the Museo della Civiltà in Rome. (Nature)
Reference: Nature article documenting these findings. (Nature)
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Environment department contact address: [redacted] (Nature)