Indiana Jones: Myth, Reality And 21st Century Archaeology

What’s your favorite commodity? Various researchers have explored the impact certain goods have had historically, culturally, economically, socially, religiously etc. Today pull up a chair and stuff your pipe because we are chatting about tobacco and smoking. The Indy Team is joined by three guests Drs. Rafferty, Fox, and Tushingham who have all spent time researching different aspects of tobacco use throughout history and pre-history. Tobacco was used in the America for religious, shamanic, or spiritual purposes. After the European discovery of the Americas, tobacco spread as far as Asia and was used as a trade item. Tracking the use and trade of this particular commodity really can inform our understanding of past (pre-historic and historic) communities and their cultural organization. Inhale this conversation and see how this commodity has shaped our world!