Datura quids at Pinwheel Cave, California, provide unambiguous confirmation of the ingestion of hallucinogens at a rock art site

Robinson, David W. and Brown, Kelly and McMenemy, Moira and Dennany, Lynn and Baker, Matthew J. and Allan, Pamela and Cartwright, Caroline and Bernard, Julienne and Sturt, Fraser and Kotoula, Elena and Jazwa, Christopher and Gill, Kristina M. and Randolph-Quinney, Patrick and Ash, Thomas and Bedford, Clare and Gandy, Devlin and Armstrong, Matthew and Miles, James and Haviland, David (2020) Datura quids at Pinwheel Cave, California, provide unambiguous confirmation of the ingestion of hallucinogens at a rock art site. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117 (49). pp. 31026-31037. ISSN 1091-6490 (https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2014529117)

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Abstract

Significance Proponents of the altered states of consciousness (ASC) model have argued that hallucinogens have influenced the prehistoric making of images in caves and rock shelters. However, the lack of direct evidence for the consumption of hallucinogens at any global rock art site has undermined the ASC model. We present the first clear evidence for the ingestion of hallucinogens at a rock art site, in this case, from Pinwheel Cave, California. Quids in the cave ceiling are shown to be Datura wrightii , a Native Californian entheogen, indicating that, rather than illustrating visual phenomena caused by the Datura , the rock paintings instead likely represent the plant and its pollinator, calling into question long-held assumptions about rock art and the ASC model.

ORCID iDs

Robinson, David W., Brown, Kelly, McMenemy, Moira, Dennany, Lynn ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5481-1066, Baker, Matthew J. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2362-8581, Allan, Pamela ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4989-2698, Cartwright, Caroline, Bernard, Julienne, Sturt, Fraser, Kotoula, Elena, Jazwa, Christopher, Gill, Kristina M., Randolph-Quinney, Patrick, Ash, Thomas, Bedford, Clare, Gandy, Devlin, Armstrong, Matthew, Miles, James and Haviland, David;
  • Item type:Article
    ID code:74709
    Dates:
    Date
    Event
    8 December 2020
    Published
    23 November 2020
    Published Online
    8 October 2020
    Accepted
    Subjects:Science > Chemistry
    Department:Faculty of Science > Pure and Applied Chemistry
    Depositing user: Pure Administrator
    Date deposited:26 Nov 2020 11:43
    Last modified:15 Nov 2024 01:13
    URI:https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/74709
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