Water pipes, or bongs, have been used by humans for thousands of years. Originating in Persia, Africa and Asia, they were traditionally made of bamboo or ivory, and were used for smoking cannabis. The oldest stash of marijuana, discovered in Western China, is said to be 8,000 years old. Since it was found in a burial tomb, it is believed to have been used for medicinal or visionary purposes, although no smoking device such as a bong or pipe was found alongside it. Ingestion might well have been the preferred method of getting high at the time.
Global Acceptance
In the first millennium B.C., the Greek historian Herodotus explained that nomadic Scythians (people from modern-day Iran) would throw bales of cannabis onto bonfires, which would put them into a trance-like state. Native American tribes across the continent are believed to have smoked cannabis (among other things) in pipes made of clay, wood or stone. The same can be said of Australian aborigines – hardly a habit picked up from one group by another.
Ancient Water Pipes
In the Middle East, the Mediterranean and in south-central Asia, one of the methods by which people smoked tobacco was the hookah, a water pipe with multiple stems, which could be placed on a table around which multiple participants would gather. While this device is also used for smoking marijuana among the American counter-culture, hookah bars are becoming more popular in the United States, where patrons can smoke flavored tobacco.
Regardless of what people are smoking, the devices they use are rooted in cultural traditions from around the globe. Humans have forever gravitated toward smoking, and have had no problem finding different ways to enjoy their substance of choice.