Surely opium use was widespread in Egypt and the east, coming back to Rome with the likes of Lucullus, Sulla and Pompeius, as part of the decadent ways of the East
Not to mention the Druids usage of magic mushrooms which would no doubt have made it to the recreational market
( Light In Chains maker of the ikea sofa, Mon 28 Mar 2011, 17:29, 2 replies, latest was 15 years ago)

I think Druidic mushroom usage is assumed/suspected
but as someone whose dissertation was on pre-Roman British religion I can say with some certainty thet there is no written or archaeological evidence. Our entire knowledge of Druidic religion comes from a few lines of text only - most of them by Julius Caesar in his 'Britannia'. This makes a mockery of so-called modern day Druids whose entire 'religion' dates back no further than the mid-C19th.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Mon 28 Mar 2011, 17:33, Reply)

You're not telling me that cunt King Arthur and his fellow Stonehenge 'druids' is a bullshitting makeup artist, well I never
Perhaps he should go back to drinking special brew down Holloway Road. I believe the Romans took particular umbrage with the Celts practice of human sacrifice, which is a bit odd considering their own savage practices. Tarpeian Rock anyone...
( Light In Chains maker of the ikea sofa, Mon 28 Mar 2011, 17:41, Reply)

Quite so.
They were hypocrites of the first water on many levels.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Mon 28 Mar 2011, 17:45, Reply)

I have no clue about the magic mushrooms
but I suspect it was highly unlikely in the period that I'm talking about when Britain wasn't part of the Roman Empire.

Similarly Egyptian history isn't my strong point except as how it tangentially relates to Rome and Greece, but there is little concrete evidence for widespread consumption, and a lot of assumptions tend to be made about it.
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Mon 28 Mar 2011, 17:37, Reply)

I saw a peculiar documentary once
where they claimed to have found cocaine traces in Egyptian mummies - suggesting either that there was trade with America 1000 years and more before even the Viking forays into that continent - or that coca grew outside of America and we don't know about it.

I would say the second one would be more likely - or a third option, the 'evidence' is wrong or contaminated, would be even more likely.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Mon 28 Mar 2011, 17:44, Reply)

I saw that as well, they also bunged in Tobacco for good measure *mystery*

( Light In Chains maker of the ikea sofa, Mon 28 Mar 2011, 17:46, Reply)

WooooOOOooOOOOOooooOOOoo

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Mon 28 Mar 2011, 17:48, Reply)

I remember that
the tobacco traces were quite interesting. I do suspect it's contamination though
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Mon 28 Mar 2011, 17:49, Reply)

No other explanation makes any sense, I am sad to say.
There'd have been other evidence of trade than just some grains of bugle and some baccy leaves.

I point the finger at rich American students working in Egypt.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Mon 28 Mar 2011, 17:52, Reply)

No Lambert & Butler for Pharaoh :((

( Light In Chains maker of the ikea sofa, Mon 28 Mar 2011, 17:55, Reply)

no charlie for Cleopatra

( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Mon 28 Mar 2011, 17:56, Reply)

No tripping for Ptolemy.

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Mon 28 Mar 2011, 18:03, Reply)

The Romans would have had contact with the Celts since year dot, see the Celts of Northern Italy, Transalpine, Cisalpine Gaul, the Iberian peninsula and so on

( Light In Chains maker of the ikea sofa, Mon 28 Mar 2011, 17:48, Reply)