Researchers in Poland believe that Ancient Germanic warriors used tiny spoons to dose themselves drugs on the battlefield.

Were Germanic soldiers high on the battlefield in ancient Roman times? New research suggests that warriors might have used small spoons that fastened to their belts for a stimulant boost.

The consumption of alcohol and stimulants has been well-recorded throughout history, especially in the context of ritual and war, to motivate soldiers and quell their fears and even hunger.

However, “the custom,” study authors write in a new intriguing study, of ingesting drugs “went nowhere beyond Ancient Rome.” Except, that might not be true once the researchers dug deeper into the history of narcotics. After all, what were the Germans doing with these random yet commonly worn spoons?

A small but mighty weapon on the battlefield?

After collecting 241 spoons at 116 locations across Scandinavia, Germany, and Poland, researchers from Maria Curie Sklodowska believe that Germanic warriors dispensed stimulants with spoons that attached to their belts which they found in contexts related to ritual and war.