Abstract
A wealth of prehistoric archaeological findings unearthed by archaeologists has brought forward a rich harvest of information about the use of opium poppy in the Minoan civilization. They reveal the widespread use of opium for cult rituals or healing purposes in the east Mediterranean and Crete at least since 5th century BC, when no written references existed. Poppy capsules ornamenting figurines, bas-reliefs, vases, pins and jewelry imply the multiple symbolic meanings of opium—healing, fertility, wealth and immortality. The Minoan “goddess of poppies, patronage of healing,” dated from 1300 BC, wearing in her head three hairpins of poppy capsules, is a distinct example of the knowledge in the Minoan world of the healing and soporific properties of opium and also of the methods of extracting it from the poppy capsule. The presence of opium poppy in different objects of everyday life like lekythia, rings, pyxis from Crete and Mycenae also suggests a long tradition of the use of opium byproducts in the ancient East Mediterranean.
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