Beit Shemesh family tomb
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| Beit Shemesh family tomb | |
|---|---|
| Site | |
| Type | Cemetery |
| In use | 4th century CE[1] |
| Cannabis finds | |
| Found | Residue |
| Burnt material with Δ6-THC in the abdominal area of a girl who died in childbirth | |
| Dated | c. 315–392 CE |
| Identified by | Chemical analysis, Microscopy |
The Beit Shemesh family tomb is a burial tomb of the 4th century CE at Beit Shemesh, near Jerusalem in Israel. It held the skeleton of a girl of about 14 who died while pregnant with a full-term fetus. Burnt material found in her abdominal area contained Δ6-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ6-THC), a minor constituent of cannabis. Joe Zias, Raphael Mechoulam and their colleagues read it as cannabis given to her to ease the birth.[1]
The tomb and the burial
The tomb was an undisturbed family burial. Three bronze coins found in it date from 315 to 392 CE and place its use in the 4th century.[1] The girl lay on her back in an extended position. The skeleton of a fetus of 40 weeks lay in her pelvic area. She appears to have been in the last stages of pregnancy or giving birth when she died.[1]
The internal diameter of her pelvis from front to back measured about 7 to 7.5 centimetres. The authors held that a normal vaginal delivery is unlikely, though possible, when this diameter is under 9 centimetres. They concluded that the immature pelvis was probably the cause of death, through rupture of the cervix and haemorrhage.[1]
Analysis
From the abdominal area of the skeleton 6.97 grams of grey carbonised material were recovered. Microscopy at the Israel Police forensic laboratory suggested that Cannabis sativa might be present. A second sample examined by microscopy at the Department of Botany of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem showed what appeared to be reed (Phragmites) and minute amounts of carbonised fruit or seed.[1]
The chemical analysis took 1 gram of the grey powder and extracted a yellow oil of 10 milligrams with ether. Thin-layer chromatography "revealed one main spot with an Rf value (0.72) identical with that of Δ6-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ6-THC), a component of cannabis". The authors confirmed the identification by gas chromatography, mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy, all of which gave spectra "identical with those obtained from authentic Δ6-THC".[1] They described Δ6-THC as "a minor, highly stable constituent of cannabis" whose presence "presumably indicates conversion of the major components, Δ1-THC and cannabidiol, into Δ6-THC", a change that takes place after acid catalysis and apparently during burning.[1]
Interpretation
The authors wrote: "We assume that the ashes found in the tomb were cannabis, burned in a vessel and administered to the young girl as an inhalant to facilitate the birth process." In antiquity, they added, this would usually have been done by a midwife. They cited a 19th-century medical publication on the power of cannabis to strengthen uterine contractions and reduce the pain of labour.[1]
The authors presented the find as physical evidence of cannabis use in the ancient Middle East, which they wrote had not been obtained before. The earlier evidence they cited was textual: the Ebers papyrus and Assyrian, Greek and Roman sources.[1]