Cannabis culture during the Hellenic period
This is mostly bullet points for now, but;
Was not very prominent. The Scythians introduced it to the Greek’s in 400BCE but if you look at the writings of people like Herodotus the Scythians were largely seen as a lazy, but violent culture (they were hired as mercenaries by the Greeks)
Some Classicists deny it was used at all
“There is no evidence that cannabis was used by ancient Greeks for commerical, ritual, or euphoric purposes...furthermore, there is no evidence to indicate that cannabis was used by Asculpian shrines or at Oracles. The plants principally used to modify consciousness were the solanoids...” Stefanis, Ballas and Madianou, Sociocultural and Epidemiological Aspects of Hashish Use in Greece (1975)
However, it’s also been suggested that because most research was done 20 years ago Classicists may have been unwilling to acknowledge or study illegal substances because of the taboo. However, a most recent article states;
Though it eventually became commonplace, cannabis seems to have been largely unknown to the Greeks in the fifth century BCE, when Herodotus wrote his description of the hemp vapor-baths used by the ancient Scythians, which constitutes the earliest reference in Greek literature
Cannabis may have been referred to as ‘Asterion’ and was used by women worshiping Aphrodite who would use it help with menstrual pain. (Source; The Cult of Divine Birth in Ancient Greece) Resin was possibly used as an offering to Aphrodite and Hera, according to this kind of sketchy documentary by a Professor of Classics as Boston University
Nepenthes was used to comfort people who lost friends/family in the war with Troy. It was introduced by Zeus’s daughter Helena, and could also be a word for cannabis. However, in this form it was mixed with wine, the Greek intoxicant of choice. It’s also listed for medical purposes as early as the 5th century BCE by Herodotus (Source; Head, 2004, University of Genoa)
