Quote:
Originally Posted by Adaptation
Interesting, was unaware of any drug usage by romans except for Alcohol. I assume opium was just chewed(im unaware of any romans ''smoking''). Where would they get opium? How wide was its spread? I have yet to see any solid history on drug usage.
I don't think they smoked it. I am far from a drug expert. I think it was consumed orally based on the great enemy of Rome Mithridates VI of Pontus and his success with building immunity to poison.
"In the next century, Galen (131-201 AD) wrote about various theriac compounds, but his favorite was the Theriac of Andromachus. This preparation was compounded by Galen for the Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, who took a daily dose of it to protect against poisons and to aid in ensuring good general health. After Galen, medicine entered a time of minimal advancement, and with his blessing the Theriac of Andromachus maintained a privileged status as the preferred theriac. The basic formula as it existed through the centuries was fairly stable, consisting of vipers, opium, wine, honey, cinnamon, and about 60 herbs."
Galen. Opera Omnia. Vol 14. Kühn C, ed. Hildesheim, Germany: Olms; 1965.
Another good source is The Antonines: The Roman Empire in Transition
By Michael Grant available on Google books. Do a google search for: "daily dose of theriac" and look for Marcus Aurelius