Someone ancient Egyptian pantheon The most famous gods were Bes; demonic, feline deity associated with motherhood, birth, and the home. Archaeological evidence shows that its popularity dates back thousands of years, particularly in the form of ceramic drinking vessels called Bes cups or Bes vases. The drink that often fills these glasses has long remained a mystery, but researchers now believe they can verify the claim. previous hypothesis He identified many important ritual contents, as well as why and when the Egyptians produced Bes cups. Among the ancient mixture’s many ingredients, two categories stand out in particular: hallucinogenic herbs and bodily fluids.

Like Ars Teknik They note that this is not the first time experts have tried to examine the residual contents of Bes cups, offering holy water, wine, beer or milk, as well as medicinal liquids or perfume, as possible explanations. But these past analyzes offered few concrete results.

To finally solve the mystery, experts led by Davide Tanasi of the University of South Florida recently analyzed samples scraped from the inner lining of a rare 2nd-century B.C. Bes cup, now housed at the Tampa Museum of Art. Using “cutting-edge proteomics, metabolomics, genetics techniques, and synchrotron radiation-based Fourier Transformed Infrared microSpectroscopy,” the team categorized the various organic remains of the cup. These results were published on November 13. Nature’s Scientific Reportsclearly state how Egyptians used drinking vessels, at least during the Ptolemaic Period.

“There is no research that has found what we found in this study,” Tanasi said. university profile On November 14th. “For the first time, we were able to detect all chemical traces of the components of the liquid mixture found in the Tampa Museum of Art’s Bes cup, including the plants used by the Egyptians.”

According to the authors of the study, all of the components obtained from the plants had psychotropic and medicinal properties. They particularly noted its existence. harmalaor Syrian mother-of-pearl, whose seeds are known to induce dreamlike visions through the alkaloids, harmine and harmaline. Another plant detected is the blue water lily (Nymphaea sky blue) -may act as a psychoactive sedative.

“(W)e can conclude that: harmala And Nymphaea sky blue “It was deliberately used as a source of psychoactive substances for ritual purposes,” the researchers wrote in their study.

In addition to fruit-based alcohol, the Egyptians sweetened the drink with pine nuts, honey, and sesame seeds, while the addition of grapes and possibly licorice also gave the liquid a blood-like color. But additional chemical elements indicate that the contents of the Bes cup are not merely an imitation of bodily fluids but are a vital part of the drink.

“In addition to plant-based substances, proteomic analyzes showed the presence of a high percentage of human proteins within the residue,” the researchers wrote. While most of these proteins fell into categories “normally classified as contamination,” the team “yet…identified several other proteins.” These suggest the “intentional addition” of human fluids such as breast milk, mucosal fluids (oral or vaginal), and blood. However, bodily secretions coincide with Bes’ relationship with pregnancy, fertility, and the household.

(Relating to: This ancient Egyptian ship once carried hallucinogenic beer.)

“Egyptologists believe that because pregnancies were fraught with danger in the ancient world, people visited the so-called Bes Chambers at Saqqara when they wanted to confirm a successful pregnancy,” said Branko van Oppen, curator of Greek and Roman art at the Tampa Museum of Art. . Knowing this, van Oppen and the study’s co-authors theorize that the mixture of psychedelic herbs, alcohol, and human-derived ingredients “may have been used in a magic ritual to induce dream vision in the context of this dangerous period of labor.”

These rituals may also have involved a re-creation of the Egyptian “Legend of the Sun’s Eye,” in which Bes defeated the bloodthirsty goddess Hathor by offering her an alcoholic, sedative-laced drink disguised as blood.

“Religion is one of the most fascinating and confusing aspects of ancient civilizations,” Tanasi said. “With this study, we have found scientific evidence that there is some truth to Egyptian myths, and this helps shed light on poorly understood rituals…”