Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Hitit Journal of Science, cilt.3, sa.1, 2026 (Hakemli Dergi)
This study investigates the influence of ancient civilizations on the conceptual and symbolic foundations of central nervous system drugs. Drawing on archaeological and anthropological evidence, it examines the ritual and medicinal use of psychoactive plants across diverse cultures, including shamanic and pagan traditions, South and Central American indigenous religions, Mesoamerican civilizations such as the Aztec, Maya, and Inca, Native American and African indigenous cultures, Anatolian societies—including the Late Hittite civilization—as well as Greek and Hellenistic traditions. Particular attention is given to Greek mythological figures such as Nyx, Hypnos, Thanatos, and the Oneiroi (Morpheus, Phobetor, and Phantasos), whose symbolic associations with sleep, dreams, death, and altered states of consciousness reflect early understandings of phenomena now known to be regulated by the central nervous system. By situating Greek mythology within a broader cross-cultural framework, this research highlights overlooked continuities between ancient belief systems and the development of modern pharmacological agents related to sleep, dreaming, lucid dreaming, and euthanasia.