Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:Chemical traces of opium found in an ancient Egyptian alabaster vase shows it had a widespread use. An ancient alabaster vase located in a Yale University museum collection revealed a truth hidden for centuries: Opium use was part of mainstream society in ancient Egyptian culture. Grave robbers had entered King Tut’s tomb well before Howard Carter discovered it, and they were ambitious in attempting to dig out the contents of the vessels. Koh said it’s unlikely that ancient looters would have risked their lives in an attempted theft in King Tut’s tomb for standard ointments of perfumes. King Tut’s alabaster vessels haven’t been analyzed since, and now sit at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, Egypt.