Permafrost burials preserved the deceased with complex animal-style tattoos over their entire bodies, cannabis fumigation equipment, and horse harnesses. They are considered physical remains of shamanic trance rituals. Herodotus also recorded legends of the "Arimaspi" of the steppe. Archaeology confirms that steppe shamans did use hallucinogenic plants to induce trance states.
Account
Permafrost burials preserved the deceased with complex animal-style tattoos over their entire bodies, cannabis fumigation equipment, and horse harnesses. They are considered physical remains of shamanic trance rituals. Herodotus also recorded legends of the "Arimaspi" of the steppe. Archaeology confirms that steppe shamans did use hallucinogenic plants to induce trance states.
Sources
- Pazyryk permafrost burial archaeological excavation report
- Herodotus, Histories
- Altai rock art