Key points: A study in the Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology detected multiple opiate biomarkers—noscapine, thebaine, papaverine, hydrocotarnine and morphine—in a roughly 2,500‑year‑old calcite vase. The vessel, one of fewer than ten intact examples and inscribed in four languages, suggests opium may have been used beyond elite circles. Earlier findings from a New Kingdom merchant tomb and a 1933 analysis by Alfred Lucas support the possibility of broader opiate use. Researchers plan further testing at the Grand Egyptian Museum to clarify how opium was used in ancient Egyptian society.
Opium in Ancient Egypt: Study Finds Opiate Residues in 2,500‑Year‑Old Vessels — Possible Daily Use Across Classes
Key points: A study in the Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology detected multiple opiate biomarkers—noscapine, thebaine, papaverine, hydrocotarnine and morphine—in a roughly 2,500‑year‑old calcite vase. The vessel, one of fewer than ten intact examples and inscribed in four languages, suggests opium may have been used beyond elite circles. Earlier findings from a New Kingdom merchant tomb and a 1933 analysis by Alfred Lucas support the possibility of broader opiate use. Researchers plan further testing at the Grand Egyptian Museum to clarify how opium was used in ancient Egyptian society.
01:16 AM, 11/13/2025Culture
New analysis suggests opium was a familiar substance in ancient Egyptian life
Recent chemical analyses of an alabaster (calcite) vessel have identified multiple opiate biomarkers, supporting the possibility that opium was used regularly in ancient Egypt across different social classes. The findings, published in the Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology, add to growing evidence that opiate substances were more than occasional or accidental presences in the ancient Mediterranean world.
The artifact and its context: The studied vessel is roughly 2,500 years old and is one of fewer than ten comparable intact calcite containers recovered from archaeological sites worldwide. Similar jars have been found at multiple locations, including examples associated with the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. This particular vase bears inscriptions in four languages—Egyptian, Akkadian, Elamite and Persian—addressed to Xerxes I, the Achaemenid ruler (486–465 BCE) who governed Egypt as part of a vast empire.
Chemical evidence: Yale Peabody Museum researcher Andrew Koh and colleagues noticed an unfamiliar dark brown, aromatic residue inside the vase and submitted samples for laboratory analysis. The tests detected noscapine, thebaine, papaverine, hydrocotarnine and morphine—compounds widely recognized as biomarkers for opium.
"Taken together with earlier work, our results suggest opium use in ancient Egyptian and neighboring cultures was not merely accidental or occasional. It appears, to some extent, to have been part of everyday life," said Andrew Koh in a university statement.
Broader evidence and historical precedent: The new find complements prior identifications of opiate residues in other contexts, including containers from a merchant-class family's tomb dating to the New Kingdom (circa 16th–11th century BCE). The team also revisited early 20th-century observations by chemist Alfred Lucas, who, after working on Howard Carter's excavation of Tutankhamun's tomb, described sticky dark organic residues in similar jars in 1933 but could not definitively identify them. Koh and colleagues argue these earlier observations are consistent with the new chemical results.
Interpretation and caveats: While the chemical signatures are clear indicators of opiate compounds, researchers note that the sample size of intact vessels with confirmed residues remains small. The presence of opiate biomarkers does not by itself determine how the substances were used—possibilities include medicinal, ritual, or recreational applications. The authors emphasize that contextual evidence and further analyses are needed to clarify patterns of use.
Next steps: Koh plans to extend the same analytical approach to additional alabaster vessels now housed at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. Larger systematic testing could help establish whether opium use was widespread, how long the practice persisted, and in which social or ritual contexts it occurred.
Note: The study sheds light on daily life and material culture in antiquity but does not imply direct continuity with modern practices. Interpretations remain subject to ongoing research and peer review.