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The use of drugs such as opium likely originates from prehistoric periods, although direct evidence is still not entirely clear. Remains from Central Asia and across parts of Eurasia suggest plant residues that resemble cannabis have been found on braziers. In fact, the origin of marijuana opium is that it comes from Central Asia and it liked reached the Near East and Europe in the Neolithic due to migrations of populations such as the Yamnaya. Some early evidence for recreational drug use come from ancient Mesopotamia (modern Syria and Iraq) and Egypt. At Ebla, in modern western Syria, a kitchen was found in a palace from the mid 3rd millennium BCE, where the ceramics were analyzed and found to contain traces of opium. The Sumerians may have also cultivated opium and traded it similarly like other commodities. In Cyprus, vessels from the Bronze age, about 3400 years ago, were also found to contain opium (Figure 1). Opium is native to Central Asia, which suggests Marijuana was also likely another early drug cultivated perhaps as early as the plants may have been traded for after its early use there and later attempts at local cultivation was practiced after its tradeNeolithic over 5000 years ago. It is possible there were many uses for both opium and marijuana in its early beside only drugs, whether medicinal or for recreational use. For instance, both marijuana and opium plants can be made into other materials such as rope. Both plants also have medicinal qualities. Nevertheless, some have suggested the evidence for seemingly large-scale production , such as at Ebla , may suggest more recreational usage. Other It is difficult to differentiate when use of drugs was for recreational purposes rather than religious purposes. Very possibly, recreation and religion could have blended together in early belief systems. Artistic scenes from the Near East may also show large-scale drug use. Banquetting scenes were a common theme in cylinder seal art and often this involved large-scale consumption of wine. However, these may have also involved drug use including marijuana and or alchol that could be mixed with various drugs such as opium. In China and India, evidence from the Bronze Age also suggests early use of opium; marijuana, particularly in India where the drug naturally occurs, was also likely used in the Bronze Age at about 5000 years ago. In theses cases, both drugs could have been smoked and used also in drinks.<ref>For more on the earliest history of drugs in the Old World, see: Escohotado, Antonio. 1999. <i>A Brief History of Drugs: From the Stone Age to the Stoned Age</i>. Rochester, Vt: Park Street Press. </ref>

In Egypt, one popular drug was the blue water lotus, where it has hallucinogenic qualities and was known to have been consumed with wine (Figure 2). In fact, paintings of drunken festivals with descriptions and depictions of likely orgies suggest that it was ingested for recreational use and not just for religious purposes. However, recreational use may have also been part of worship ritualin Egypt, as descriptions of the use of the blue lotus have been found at Karnak, the site of Egypt's most holy temple. The famous burial of Tutankhamun contained the blue lotus, which could suggest its ingestion during the life of the pharaohand was intended to comfort him in the after life. In later periods, both Greek and Roman cultures ingested opium, including using it in wine. The Greek stories and mythology often mentioned drugging of the gods, suggest opium and other drugs such as mushrooms may have been common.<ref>For more on the blue lotus, see: Vasudevan Nair, R. 2004. <i>Controversial Drug Plants</i>. Biodiversity Library. Hyderabad: University Press (India) : Distributed by Orient Longman, pg. 69. </ref>

Recreational drugs also included other forms, including types of mushrooms. In the Sahara and sub-Sahara Africa, mushrooms containing psilocybin were used as a hallucinogenic. They were used by nomadic populations and they could be found in the springtimegroups. Rock art from 9000-7000 years ago , before the Sahara became a vast desert and was still relatively fertile, may suggest that mushrooms were ingested in North Africa as part of rituals and visions seen and painted. Representations of mushrooms are also shown, which would suggest their use as part of the visions or drawings shownin rock art.<ref>For more on rock art and other forms of recreational drug use in Africa, see: http://www.artepreistorica.com/2009/12/the-oldest-representations-of-hallucinogenic-mushrooms-in-the-world-sahara-desert-9000-%E2%80%93-7000-b-p/</ref>