
The article ‘ Norwegian Vikings Cultivated Hemp’ by Thor Lanesskog was originally published on ThorNews and has been republished with permission.Īt Ancient Origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. Scientists do not know if the Vikings used cannabis as a drug, and there are no sources that neither confirm nor deny if they did. The skeleton reveals that she had various health problems – most likely cancer that caused her death – and it is not unlikely that the seeds were used as painkillers. It belonged to an elderly woman aged between 70 and 80.
#Bong beyond ancient space full#
In the Oseberg ship burial mound, a little leather pouch full of cannabis seeds was found. Previously, there have been several findings of hemp seeds in Eastern Norway, including in Hamar municipality, dating back to the 400s AD. The plant was most likely used for production of textiles and ropes. It is however uncertain whether the Vikings used cannabis as a drug. Hemp is the same plant as the cannabis plant used for hashish production.

Sosteli is located much less centrally than other places where similar findings have been made, indicating that cannabis cultivation was common throughout the Viking Age. Is it from this area the Norsemen imported hemp seeds back to Scandinavia? (Photo: Barbetorte/ Wikimedia Commons)

On a secluded Iron Age farm in Southern Norway, archaeological findings show that it was common to cultivate cannabis in the Viking Age.
