Bridging the gap between our ancient and modern worlds
Current Collaborations
Yale Ancient Pharmacology Program
Hosted at the Yale Peabody Museum, this is the world’s first transdisciplinary archaeochemical lab. It fuses ethnohistory, phytochemistry, and data science to study ancient organic materials and medicinal knowledge. Current projects span Italy, Greece, and Egypt, where researchers investigate ancient pharmacological practices. The lab represents a cutting-edge fusion of traditional scholarship with modern scientific analysis, offering new insights into humanity’s relationship with plants and healing across civilizations.
Harvard University and UC Berkeley Grant Program
A collaboration between Harvard University and UC Berkeley, this initiative explores the cultural, historical, and societal impact of psychedelics. In May 2024, 26 research grants were awarded to scholars at both universities to advance inquiry into how these substances have influenced human consciousness, religion, healing, and culture. Through rigorous academic work, the program aims to broaden public understanding of psychedelics beyond contemporary stereotypes, grounding them in historical and anthropological research.
University of South Carolina, Institute for Archaeology and Anthropology
This program is investigating the Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis, a theory proposing that a cosmic event ~12,800 years ago altered Earth’s climate and human history. Researchers explore evidence across North America and other sites, building interdisciplinary connections between archaeology, geology, and astrophysics. Featured by The New York Times in "The Cosmic Strike Theory That Just Won't Die," the project challenges and refines our understanding of pivotal moments in ancient civilization.
Boston University Ancient Civilizations and Solar Outbursts Research Project Fund
Research directed by Professor Robert Schoch, this fund supports research on how solar outbursts may have impacted ancient civilizations. Based at the Institute for the Study of the Origins of Civilization within Boston University’s College of General Studies, the project draws on geology, archaeology, and astronomy to reassess historical timelines. Schoch’s work suggests that solar activity could have been a major force shaping the rise and fall of early human societies.
Arizona State University and The Geopolymer Institute Laboratory
A groundbreaking collaboration between Prof. Joseph Davidovits (Geopolymer Institute) and Prof. Don Seo (ASU) to study the hypothesis that ancient monuments—such as the pyramids, Bolivian temples, and Easter Island statues—were built using reconstituted stone rather than carved rock. The project includes the construction of a full-scale replica of Cusco’s famous interlocking stone walls, offering critical evidence that could revolutionize our understanding of ancient engineering and architectural achievements.
Unveiling the Deep History: Geoglyphs of the Brazilian Amazon
Led by the Amazon Geoglyphs Institute, this project captures high-resolution aerial images of ancient earthworks across the Brazilian Amazon. The initiative seeks to build a vital visual archive to support academic research, public awareness, and efforts toward UNESCO World Heritage designation for the Acre Geoglyphs. The project is critical for reshaping understandings of Amazonian civilization, revealing a sophisticated pre-Columbian society previously hidden beneath dense rainforest canopies.
If you die before you die, you won’t die when you die.
If you die before you die, you won’t die when you die.
If you die before you die, you won’t die when you die.
If you die before you die, you won’t die when you die.
If you die before you die, you won’t die when you die.
Roots of our work
A real-life quest for the Holy Grail
Sacred beverages were routinely consumed as part of the so-called Ancient Mysteries – elaborate rites that led initiates to the brink of death. The best and brightest from Athens and Rome flocked to the spiritual capital of Eleusis, where a holy beer unleashed heavenly visions for two thousand years. Others drank the holy wine of Dionysus to become one with the god.
The constantly advancing fields of archaeobotany and archaeochemistry have hinted at the enduring use of hallucinogenic drinks in antiquity.
Questions we are trying to answer
If these sacraments survived for thousands of years in our remote prehistory, from the Stone Age to the Ancient Greeks, did they also survive into the age of Jesus?
Over the past two thousand years, what happened to the sacred pharmacology of the West? How do these lost traditions reflect the ritual use of psychedelics as a universal religious heritage of humankind — East and West, North and South?
Featured Media:
Harvard Divinity School
The Ancient Religion with No Name: A 90-minute interview between CSWR Director Charles Stang and Brian Muraresku
The Tim Ferris Show
The Eleusinian Mysteries and The Pagan Continuity Hypothesis: A 60-minute conversation between Brian Muraresku and Dr. Mark Plotkin
Making Sense: Sam Harris
The Immortality Key and Best Kept Secret In History: A 40-minute conversation between Sam Harris and Brian Muraresku
Summit Series
The Forgotten History of Psychedelics 60-minute presentation and Q&A on ‘The Immortality Key’ book at Summit Series
After Skool
The Best Kept Secret in History 13-minute animated version. A look into the psychedelic origins of the world’s great spiritual practices
Joe Rogan
“The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name,” a 3-hour conversation between Joe Rogan and Brian Muraresku
Donate
Athanatos Foundation is actively accepting donations. All contributions are 100% tax-deductible and will be directed to our Areas of Focus projects. Athanatos Foundation is a 501(c)3 public charity with EIN: 47-5267002.
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Washington, D.C. | Boulder
E: info@athanatosfoundation.org