歷史上人們普遍認為，新大陸的土著居民大概在3000年前開始吸食雪茄菸葉，這是16世紀的英國人沃爾特·羅利爵士的發現。但是最近出土的一些證據有力的表明，人類對菸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，在美國猶他州大鹽湖沙漠的一個考古調查中發現了一個史前遺址，這個地區被稱為叉骨遺址。達倫·杜克和他的考古隊在遠西人類學研究集團公司的資助下對這塊遺址進行了挖掘。根據CNN的報導，他們發現了一個1萬年前屬於石器時代晚期的壁爐，伴隨著可以預期的黑曜石長矛槍頭和動物骨骼。但是還有一些意想不到的發現：燒焦的雪茄菸葉種子。這些種子較小，無法測定年份。但是通過對壁爐裡的多個樣本進行碳年份測算，表明這個壁爐是大約12300年前的歷史遺蹟。
在那個時代世界和我們今天所處的環境不太一樣，那是一個充滿植被和野生動物的溼地，為石器時代的獵人和他們的家人提供食物。事實上，沙漠曾經是一個巨大的湖泊的底部。包括菸草在內的農業植物的種植又進化了大概2000年的時間。這時候人類主要是狩獵和採集來獲取食物，他們追隨成群的動物遠距離狩獵，邊走邊覓食。這是菸草種子出現在溼地的最大可能原因，畢竟菸草是不生長在溼地中。
根據杜克的判斷，考古團隊排除了菸草種子通過自然方式進入壁爐的可能性，比如通過鴨子或者其他水禽的胃，現場沒有發現水禽的骨骼。菸草種子也不可能是壁爐裡的燃料，缺乏木質纖維，菸草植物並不是理想的燃料來源。
大家一致接受的結論是菸草種子是被石器時代的人類特意烘烤，或者人類咀嚼後吐到壁爐裡。
不管具體的場景是如何，似乎我們的史前同類們坐在壁爐前正在享受著菸草的愉快陪伴。
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.