In an entry in his journal dated 6 November, 1492 Christopher Columbus made the first written reference to smoking tobacco during his exploration of the New World.
…men and women with a half-burnt weed in their hands, being the herbs they are accustomed to smoke
Cambridge University Press edition 2010
The native people rolled the herbs, which they called tabacos, inside dried leaves and lit one end. Inhaling the smoke made them feel sleepy or intoxicated.
Despite being a key part of society and everyday life, medieval sexuality was probably left out of your history lessons at school. But how much do we really know about these very private aspects of life in the Middle Ages? Dr Cat Jarman is joined by historian Dr Eleanor Janega from the London School of Economics, who tells us all about medieval sex toys, religious rules, sex workers and more. Please be aware there are adult themes in this episode.
Eleanor’s book, The Middle Ages: A Graphic History, is out now
Columbus first came in to contact with tobacco in October when he was presented with a bunch of dried herbs on his arrival. Neither he nor his crew had any idea what to do with them until they observed the natives chewing them and inhaling the smoke. Sailors who decided to try smoking the tobacco soon found it became a habit.
Among the sailors who took up smoking tobacco was Rodrigo de Jerez. But Jerez ran in to trouble when he took his smoking habit back to Spain. People were alarmed and afraid at the vision of a man blowing smoke out of his mouth and nose, believing it to be the work of Satan. Consequently, Jerez was arrested and spent several years in prison.
Join Dan Snow as he explores this stunning set of discoveries in our brand new documentary ‘Digging Up the Dark Ages’ on History Hit TV.
While working on the HS2 high speed railway project in the UK, archaeologists made discoveries of national significance, uncovering a large Anglo-Saxon burial site in Wendover, Buckinghamshire. Almost three quarters of the graves found contain high quality grave goods, suggesting the site was the final resting place of a wealthy Anglo-Saxon community.
History Hit has been at the heart of this discovery, with an exclusive documentary exploring the magnificent finds. Intriguingly, the items uncovered are dated to the 5th and 6th century, a period with significant gaps in the historical and archaeological record. The site contained 138 graves, with 141 inhumation burials and 5 cremation burials – one of the largest Anglo-Saxon burial grounds ever uncovered in Britain.
The discoveries made by HS2 archaeologists will contribute a significant amount to understanding how people in Anglo-Saxon Britain lived their lives, and what culture and society was like at that time.
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