The origin of smoking lies somewhere far back in history. Thus, the scientists believe that people in prehistoric times inhaled smoke to get into some kind of hallucinatory intoxication, for example in connection with religious ceremonies.
It is uncertain when people started smoking tobacco, but it is clear that the Indians were the first to do so, because before Columbus came to America, the tobacco plant grew nowhere but there.
The oldest evidence of tobacco smoking is around 4,700 years old.
Archaeologists found in Canada a stone smoke pipe from around 2700 BC. during an excavation near the city of Alberta.
However, the researchers do not agree on the extent to which the pipe was used for smoking. Much younger archaeological remains were found on the Brazilian island of Marjaó.
Here, the archaeologists found quite a few tubular pipes from around 1000 BC. and in this case the scientists are confident that the pipes were used for smoking tobacco.
The Mayan Indians of Mexico also smoked tobacco more than 2,000 years ago.
Tobacco smoking reached Europe after Columbus discovered America in 1492. He saw the Indians smoking tobacco and took the tobacco plant home with him to Europe.
