Cannabis Incense in Ancient Israel?
Incense Remains on Altar Lead to a Surprising Discovery
By Adam R. Hemmings
In late May 2020, a team comprised of researchers from the Israel Museum and the Volcani Center, Israel, made a remarkable discovery: cannabis residue upon an ancient incense altar. The study, published in Tel Aviv, demonstrated that through analysis of remains atop two altars from the Judahite Shrine at Tel Arad, west of the Dead Sea, scientists identified frankincense on one and cannabis on the other. It marks the first such discovery of cannabis in a Judahite context.
Cannabis, of course, is well-known for its psychoactive effects, and was possibly used in Japan as early as 8000 BCE. Frankincense, to a lesser extent, also seems to have certain mind altering effects, although these are currently not well understood. The existence of both in a religious environment, perhaps paints a picture where the priests used these substances to commune in their minds with the deity being worshipped.
The site of Tel Arad was excavated in the 1960s and is important because the temple in which the two altars were found is the first such temple discovered of Judahite origin. Frankincense was famously used as a component of the incense offering (qetoreth) at the time of the Tabernacle until the Second Temple, as well as amongst other surrounding civilizations, but cannabis is not mentioned in any of the biblical books, based on current accepted translations.
The shrine at Tel Arad itself was used for a very limited time, from approximately 760–715 BCE, coinciding with the traditional dates for the reigns of Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. If the site was abandoned as proposed in 715 BCE, this would roughly coincide with Hezekiah’s sole rule over Judah. The researchers point out in their article that the altars may have been intentionally interred, as they were found on their sides. Previously, this interment had been linked to Hezekiah’s reforms (which sought to centralize worship at Jerusalem and remove rival cult centres) by Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman, a designation that the shrine at Tel Arad would surely fit. However, they surmise that since they were respectfully buried and not destroyed, it is more likely it was covered over as a protective gesture against the Assyrians who threatened the kingdom. Moreover, the authors conclude that the Kingdom of Judah likely directly administered the shrine, because of the high cost of importing expensive incense types. Indeed, they suggest that the identification of the different types of incense could be a good guide for understanding what kinds of incense were used at the Temple in Jerusalem.
Given the timings involved, it would seem just as likely that the local clergy operating the site at Tel Arad were commanded by Hezekiah to dissolve the place of worship, but instead respectfully buried it, never to return.
Although purely speculative, I would like to offer another explanation for the sudden abandonment and interment of the altars: a response to Hezekiah’s reforms by the priests of the cult site themselves. Given the timings involved, it would seem just as likely that the local clergy operating the site at Tel Arad were commanded by Hezekiah to dissolve the place of worship, but instead respectfully buried it, never to return. In addition, because this is the only site of cannabis use archaeologically attested in Israel, it is impossible to speculate as to whether a similar formulation was used at the Temple in Jerusalem or whether this is a unique occurrence, possibly necessitated by the priests of the shrine’s need to further enhance the “holy” experience through the inhalation of psychoactive substances.
And what of cannabis use attested in other biblical texts as opposed to archaeological sites? Whilst the other ingredients of the incense offering have not been determined with certainty, some have theorized that an ingredient in the Oil of Anointing used in the Tabernacle and Temple was indeed derived from cannabis. Translated as “sweet-smelling cane” qaneh bosem was identified as cannabis by anthropologist Sula Benet in 1975, an identification that, on etymological grounds, has gained some support in recent years.
Interestingly, the Hebrew word shemen, meaning fat or oil and used about the Oil of Anointing, does possibly have an etymological link itself to hemp or cannabis. In Egyptian, šmšm.t possibly refers to hemp and is attested in a medical context from the New Kingdom in Berlin Papyrus 3027 and Papyrus Chester Beatty VI. Given the similarity between the two words, especially the likely link between Egyptian šmšm.t and šmm (“to become hot, to be hot, to be feverish” — as one would do with cannabis to make it produce smoke), it is tentatively possible that a relationship exists between the Egyptian and Hebrew words.
Ultimately, our best of hope of understanding more about the ingredients used in ancient incense and other substances is through further chemical analysis of remaining materials. Luckily, the scientists involved suggest that other similar altars could be studied in the future and with that, more secrets of the past revealed.
Adam R. Hemmings is a graduate of the University of Chicago and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, where he specialized in Egyptian and Near Eastern studies, as well as archaeological and heritage law. He is currently engaged in research for his PhD regarding the repatriation of Egyptian antiquities removed during the colonial period.
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