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> He was thirsty, and the thought occurred to him to pick up a mushroom （myces） from the ground. Drinking with joy water that flowed from it, he gave to the pla
by dr_dshiv 5y ago
> He was thirsty, and the thought occurred to him to pick up a mushroom （myces） from the ground. Drinking with joy water that flowed from it, he gave to the place the name of Mycenae.
This is fabulous, thank you. Very compelling.
There are giant Neolithic carvings of mushrooms in Thrace. But apart from these small scatterings of ambiguous evidence—almost nothing supports the idea that psychoactive mushrooms were known to the Greeks. Which is just, well, odd.
https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/mushroom-monuments-thrace-and-ancient-sacred-rites-005267 https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/m...
- buildsjets 5y agoI’m sure you must know of Kykeon, the psychoactive beverage that ancient Greeks drank as part of the initiation into the Eleusinian Mysteries. Psychedelic mushrooms are one of the theorized ingredients, but as you say there is no hard evidence of that. However, residue of ergot fungus sclerotia has been found in Kykeon vessels. Another strong candidate is datura (Jimsonweed), based on it’s regional availability and description of the effects of Kykeon.