{"id":2374,"date":"2023-03-13T10:06:56","date_gmt":"2023-03-13T09:06:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.learnancientrome.com\/?p=2374"},"modified":"2023-03-13T10:06:56","modified_gmt":"2023-03-13T09:06:56","slug":"did-people-smoke-in-ancient-rome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.learnancientrome.com\/did-people-smoke-in-ancient-rome\/","title":{"rendered":"Did people smoke in ancient rome?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A popular belief is that smoking began with the arrival of the Europeans in the Americas but this is not the case. Smoking has been traced back to as early as 5000 BC in the Americas and 1000 BC in Africa and Europe. The earliest known depiction of smoking is a carving from a cave in Arnhem Land, Australia, which dates back to around 4000 BC.<\/p>\n

In ancient Rome, there is evidence of smoking from as early as the 2nd century BC. Bronze pipes have been found in the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and there are references to smoking in the plays of Plautus and Terence. In his epic poem, the Aeneid, Virgil even describes the act of smoking.<\/p>\n

So, did people smoke in ancient Rome? It seems they did!<\/p>\n

There is no definitive answer to this question as there is no clear evidence one way or the other. However, there are some theories that suggest that people in ancient Rome did smoke tobacco. One theory is that the practice was brought to Rome by Spanish explorers in the 16th century. Another theory is that the ancient Romans may have smoked a type of herb called lavender, which was used in ancient times to treat respiratory problems.<\/p>\n

What did the ancient Romans smoke? <\/h2>\n