Earliest Human Cannabis Use Dated to 2,800 Years Ago
Seeds and hair from a Siberian Scythian tomb push back the documented record by about 300 years.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Botany
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Archaeologists dated the earliest known human cannabis use to about 2,800 years ago, based on more than 1,000 seeds and preserved human hair recovered from Tunnug 1, a Scythian burial mound in southern Siberia. The findings, published today in Science, are a research-stage result from archaeological evidence rather than a shipped or commercial development.
Why it matters
The find pushes back the documented start of human cannabis use by roughly 300 years beyond the previous benchmark of about 2,500 years ago in eastern China. It also shows the plant was tied to ritual burial practice in Central Eurasia, reshaping how researchers map the spread of the plant across the ancient world.
The seed dating places the Tunnug 1 material in the early eighth century B.C.E., roughly 300 years earlier than the prior benchmark of around 2,500 years ago. Cannabinol, a chemical produced from THC, was detected in preserved hair, and the researchers did not report a specific potency figure for the seeds.
The players
Science
A peer-reviewed journal published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science that carries research across the natural sciences, including archaeology and plant biology.
Tunnug 1
A Scythian burial mound in southern Siberia whose tomb yielded the cannabis seeds and preserved hair that anchor the new dating.
Bard College
A liberal arts college in New York whose archaeologist Meyer was not involved in the study.
University of Colorado Boulder
A public research university whose archaeologist Taylor was not involved in the study.
The details
Cannabis seeds and human hair from the Tunnug 1 burial mound were examined together, which provides direct evidence that people consumed the plant rather than only handling it. Cannabinol is a chemical that forms as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, breaks down over time. Radiocarbon analysis, which measures the decay of a carbon isotope in organic material, dated the seeds, while the hair was analyzed for chemical traces of the plant. The researchers concluded the cannabis was most likely part of a burial ritual at the site.
Timeline
Tunnug 1 dates to between the eighth and ninth centuries B.C.E.
Radiocarbon analysis dated the seeds to the early eighth century B.C.E.
The earlier eastern China evidence dates to around 2,500 years ago.
Humans began cultivating cannabis for agricultural reasons at least 6,000 years ago.
The new findings were published today, November 5, 2026, in Science.
The Tech Race
The discovery shifts the earliest known date for cannabis use from the eastern China site to the Scythian tomb in Siberia, setting a new benchmark for the archaeological record. It also pushes the timeline for cannabis cultivation back in Central Eurasia, where researchers are now able to compare the Tunnug 1 evidence against the earlier eastern Asian finds.
The findings are a research result from archaeology and do not change any product, drug, or regulation available to readers today. The practical effect is limited to how researchers date and interpret ancient plant remains in future excavations.
The takeaway
The study moves the documented start of human cannabis use back about 300 years and ties it to burial ritual in Siberia. Watch for follow-up analyses of the Tunnug 1 hair and seeds that could confirm how the plant was consumed and whether other Scythian sites show similar evidence.
Further reading
For more on how plant remains reshape the ancient record, explore our Botany coverage.
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