Archeology of the intoxicated plants - Essay of ArcheoBotanic and Cultural History

Archaeology of Intoxicating Plants – Essay on Archaeobotany and History

Archaeology of Intoxicating Plants is a work that explores the historical and cultural roots of the main intoxicating sources –
from tea to wine, from hemp to peyote, from tobacco to mushrooms – through archaeological and botanical documentation.
An essay that unites archaeology, botany and cultural history, providing a fascinating picture of the age-old relationship between man and plants.

Main themes of the book

• The oldest archaeological evidence of intoxicating plants
• The role of psychoactive substances in human cultural development
• The Italian contribution to the domestication of opium poppy
• Italy as the second largest centre of domestication of the wild vine
• The oldest European testimonies of hemp

Why read this essay

The analysis starts from the hypothesis that the pursuit of intoxication played a decisive role in cultural development,
even influencing the start of cereal cultivation.
Through the archaeological excavations of the last decades, emerge new perspectives on Italy's role and of the communities that inhabited it in ancient times.

A journey through archaeology and culture

Archaeology of Intoxicating Plants It is a work aimed not only at scholars, but also at enthusiasts of history, botany, and cultural anthropology. A book that tells how, since ancient times, human beings have intertwined their history with that of the intoxicating plants.