Direct dating reveals the early history of opium poppy in western Europe

This paper investigates the early history of opium poppy in Western Europe using radiocarbon dating of small botanical remains from archaeological sites. The study directly dates opium poppy remains from eleven Neolithic sites (5900–3500 cal BCE), revealing its presence in the Mediterranean by the middle of the sixth millennium BCE and its early dispersal westward, reaching beyond the Rhine by 5300–5200 cal BCE and the Western Alps around 5000–4800 cal BCE. The findings indicate varying rates of opium poppy introduction across Western Europe.

Aurélie Salavert, Antoine Zazzo, Lucie Martin, Ferran Antolín, Caroline Gauthier, François Thils, Olivier Tombret, Laurent Bouby, Claire Manen, Mario Mineo, Aldona Mueller-Bieniek, Raquel Piqué, Mauro Rottoli, Núria Rovira, Françoise Toulemonde, Ivana Vostrovská