歷史上人們普遍認(rèn)為，新大陸的土著居民大概在3000年前開始吸食雪茄煙葉，這是16世紀(jì)的英國(guó)人沃爾特·羅利爵士的發(fā)現(xiàn)。但是最近出土的一些證據(jù)有力的表明，人類對(duì)煙草的使用比目前已知的要古老的多，最早可以追溯到12000年以前。

2015年，在美國(guó)猶他州大鹽湖沙漠的一個(gè)考古調(diào)查中發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個(gè)史前遺址，這個(gè)地區(qū)被稱為叉骨遺址。達(dá)倫·杜克和他的考古隊(duì)在遠(yuǎn)西人類學(xué)研究集團(tuán)公司的資助下對(duì)這塊遺址進(jìn)行了挖掘。根據(jù)CNN的報(bào)道，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個(gè)1萬(wàn)年前屬于石器時(shí)代晚期的壁爐，伴隨著可以預(yù)期的黑曜石長(zhǎng)矛槍頭和動(dòng)物骨骼。但是還有一些意想不到的發(fā)現(xiàn)：燒焦的雪茄煙葉種子。這些種子較小，無(wú)法測(cè)定年份。但是通過(guò)對(duì)壁爐里的多個(gè)樣本進(jìn)行碳年份測(cè)算，表明這個(gè)壁爐是大約12300年前的歷史遺跡。

在那個(gè)時(shí)代世界和我們今天所處的環(huán)境不太一樣，那是一個(gè)充滿植被和野生動(dòng)物的濕地，為石器時(shí)代的獵人和他們的家人提供食物。事實(shí)上，沙漠曾經(jīng)是一個(gè)巨大的湖泊的底部。包括煙草在內(nèi)的農(nóng)業(yè)植物的種植又進(jìn)化了大概2000年的時(shí)間。這時(shí)候人類主要是狩獵和采集來(lái)獲取食物，他們追隨成群的動(dòng)物遠(yuǎn)距離狩獵，邊走邊覓食。這是煙草種子出現(xiàn)在濕地的最大可能原因，畢竟煙草是不生長(zhǎng)在濕地中。

根據(jù)杜克的判斷，考古團(tuán)隊(duì)排除了煙草種子通過(guò)自然方式進(jìn)入壁爐的可能性，比如通過(guò)鴨子或者其他水禽的胃，現(xiàn)場(chǎng)沒(méi)有發(fā)現(xiàn)水禽的骨骼。煙草種子也不可能是壁爐里的燃料，缺乏木質(zhì)纖維，煙草植物并不是理想的燃料來(lái)源。

大家一致接受的結(jié)論是煙草種子是被石器時(shí)代的人類特意烘烤，或者人類咀嚼后吐到壁爐里。

不管具體的場(chǎng)景是如何，似乎我們的史前同類們坐在壁爐前正在享受著煙草的愉快陪伴。

附原文：

It has been historically accepted that indigenous peoples in the New World began smoking tobacco approximately 3,000 years ago, a delightful find that Sir Walter Raleigh brought back to England in the sixteenth century. But recently unearthed evidence now strongly suggests that tobacco use is far older than originally believed, and has been part of North American history for some 12,000 years.

In 2015 a prehistoric site was discovered during a routine archeological survey of the Great Salt Lake Desert in Utah. The area, dubbed the Wishbone site, was then excavated by Daron Duke and his team from Far Western Anthropological Research Group Inc. According to a report from CNN, they found a hearth dating back to around 10,000 B.C., the late Stone Age, which had such expected findings as obsidian spear tips and animal bones. But the team botanist also noticed something quite unexpected: charred tobacco seeds. The tiny seeds were too small to date directly, but carbon dating multiple samples from the hearth showed that the fire was lit approximately 12,300 years ago.

The area at that time would not have been as we know it today–then, it would have been a wetland full of vegetation and wildlife for the Stone Age hunters to provide food for their families. In fact, the desert is the bottom of what used to be a giant lake. Agriculture and the domesticated growing of plants including tobacco was about another 2,000 years off. Humans at this time would have consisted of nomadic hunters and gatherers who traveled great distances following herds of animals to hunt, foraging as they went along, which is how the tobacco seeds may have ended up in the wetlands, an area where it does not grow.

According to Duke, the team ruled out the possibility that the seeds could have ended up in the hearth by natural means, such as from the stomach of one of the ducks or other waterfowl whose bones were found at the site. The seeds were also unlikely to come from burning tobacco in the fire since its lack of woody fiber makes it a less-than-desirable fuel source.

The accepted theory is that the seeds made their way into the fire by being smoked, or chewed and spat out by the hunter-gatherers.

However it was used, it seems our prehistoric brethren enjoyed the pleasant company of tobacco as they sat around the fire.