Tassili Mushroom Figure

The Tassili Mushroom Figure is a late Neolithic depiction of a bee-headed Shaman possibly partaking in the use of hallucinogens discovered in Tassili n'Ajjer.[1][2][3][4] The figure is often cited as being the oldest known evidence of ritualistic mushroom use in prehistory.[1]

A reproduction of The Tassili Mushroom Figure derived from the original rock art.

Discovery

The discovery of prehistoric rock art at the Tassili n'Ajjer archaeological site occurred throughout the 1910s, 1930s, and into the 1960s.[5] The figure was found among other such depictions of mushroom use occurring in the area, including pictures of figures running under the influence.[4] The figure is also of interest to scholars due to its anthropomorphic nature, similar to the lion-man and a group of 44,000-year-old rock paintings of animal-headed hunters discovered in Indonesia.[4][6][7] Other hypotheses surrounding prehistoric hallucinations relating to art have emerged; for example, the possible role of hallucinations due to oxygen deprivation in cave art.[8]

  • A mushroom-headed figure running under the influence of hallucinogens.
    A mushroom-headed figure running under the influence of hallucinogens.[9][4][10]
  • The lion-man figurine, also known as The Löwenmensch Figurine.
    The lion-man figurine, also known as The Löwenmensch Figurine.
  • Dunes of the Tassili n'Ajjer archaeological site.
    Dunes of the Tassili n'Ajjer archaeological site.

References
  1. Guzmán, Gastón. "New taxonomical and ethnomycological observations on Psilocybe s.s. (Fungi, Basidiomycota, Agaricomycetidae, Agaricales, Strophariaceae) from Mexico, Africa and Spain". Institute of Ecology INECOL. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  2. Sherer, Alexander. "Tripping for Treatment — Why Magic Mushrooms Might Be the Next Breakthrough Mental Health Drug". Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  3. Shamanism: An Encyclopedia of World Beliefs, Practices, and Culture · Volume 1. ABC-CLIO. p. 113. ISBN 9781576076453.
  4. McKenna, Terence (1933). Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge : a Radical History of Plants, Drugs, and Human Evolution. Bantam Books. ISBN 9780553371307.
  5. "Tassili-n-Ajjer". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  6. Price, Michael. "World's Oldest Hunting Scene Shows Half-Human, Half-Animal Figures—and a Sophisticated Imagination". Science. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  7. Cook, Jill. "The Lion Man: an Ice Age masterpiece". The British Museum. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  8. Kedar, Yafit (2021). "Hypoxia in Paleolithic decorated caves: the use of artificial light in deep caves reduces oxygen concentration and induces altered states of consciousness". Time and Mind. The Journal of Archaeology, Consciousness and Culture. 14 (2): 181–216. doi:10.1080/1751696X.2021.1903177. S2CID 233613296. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  9. Johnson, Cody (June 5, 2018). Magic Medicine: A Trip Through the Intoxicating History and Modern-Day Use of Psychedelic Plants and Substances. Fair Winds Press. p. 91. ISBN 9781631594281.
  10. Berlant, Stephen (December 2005). "The entheomycological origin of Egyptian crowns and the esoteric underpinnings of Egyptian religion". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 102 (2): 275–288. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2005.07.028. PMID 16199133.
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