Archaeology, Bible and the History of Hemp (The True Tree of Life?)
- Fascinating archaeological discoveries from recent times suggest that many historical, ancient depictions of the "Tree of Life" are possibly ancient illustrations of medicinal hemp.
If this is indeed the case as the discoveries suggest, then it is absolutely clear that hemp was used since ancient times as a highly respected entheogen (ritual substance affecting consciousness).
British archaeologist Diana Stein recently proposed that ancient depictions of the Tree of Life from Mesopotamia are actually closely related to medicinal hemp plants. Stein mentioned this theory in two articles, one from 2009 ("Winged Disks and Sacred Trees at Nuzi: An Altered Perspective on Two Imperial Motifs") and another more recent from 2017 "The Role of Stimulants in Early Near Eastern Society: Insights through Artifacts and Texts", where she suggests that original depictions of a sacred tree surrounded by goats are actually an identification of cannabis.
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