The Archaeology of Smoking and Tobacco

Smoking pipes are among the most commonly found artifacts at archaeological sites, affirming the prevalence and longevity of smoking as a cultural practice. Yet there is currently no other study in historical archaeology that interprets tobacco and smoking-related activities in such a wide spectrum and what clues they give about past societies.
In The Archaeology of Smoking and Tobacco, Georgia Fox analyzes the archaeological record to survey the discovery, production, consumption, and trade of this once staple crop. She also examines how tobacco use has influenced the evolution of an American cultural identity, including perceptions of glamour, individuality, patriotism, class, gender, ethnicity, and worldliness, as well as notions of poor health, inadequate sanitation, and high-risk activities.
Employing material culture found throughout North America and the Caribbean, Fox considers the ways in which Native Americans, enslaved Africans, the working class, the Irish, and women used tobacco. Her own research in Port Royal, Jamaica—an important New World hub in the British-colonial tobacco network—provides a fascinating case study to investigate the consumption of luxury goods in the pre-industrial era and the role tobacco played in an emerging capitalist world system and global economy.

Georgia L. Fox is professor of anthropology at California State University, Chico, USA.