ABSTRACT
Poppy seems to be one of the few species which was utilized, even cultivated, in prehistoric times. However its origin is not yet known conclusively and there are different statements in the literature concerning its first appearance. Until the 1930s Papaver setigerum D.C. was accepted as the first ancestor. Based on the native distribution of this species the Mediterranean area was thought to be its place of origin and this idea was supported by discoveries of fossilized remains. Analysis of the remains from the Neolithic age verified that poppy was known to cavemen living in the territories of Spain, France, Germany and Hungary 4-5 thousand years BC. This infers that some form of poppy was widely known and utilized in ancient times (Tétényi, 1997).
