Introduction
Wholesale Glass Bongs are used by a large number of people on a daily basis for medical or therapeutic purposes. But did you realise there are some oddly fascinating things about bongs? It’s amazing how even the most ordinary things of our lives have such a compelling backstory. Read on to learn these bizarre facts about wholesale & roor glass bongs!
1. Bongs have been around for over 2400 years.
Modern bongs or water pipes are said to be based on hookah or Shisha, a smoking device that’s very popular in the Middle East. Both are similar when it comes to structures and function, and both are not considered a new invention.
Mary Leakey, an archeologist, in 1945 found a few remains in Tanzania that resembled a water pipe. It had a mouthpiece and a bowl on top that was attached to a water chamber at the bottom by a pipe. Aside from that, cave excavations in Africa discovered 11 pipes dating from 1100 to 1400 CE, indicating that these instruments were in use in Africa at the same time as they were in Asia. Bongs were said to be carried into Asia, and throughout the rest of the known world via the Silk Road starting around the 1400s, with the advent of smoking.
These findings are contrary to the popular belief that bongs or water pipes originated in the Middle East. Until recently, bongs were thought to have first been used in Africa in the 1100s by tribes in the southern and eastern parts of the continent, since those were the earliest examples discovered.
However in 2013 the history of bongs expanded when a 2,400-year-old kurgan, a Scythian burial mound, was uncovered in what is now southern Russia. Two ornate, solid gold bongs were found inside, dating back from about 400BC, which is roughly 1,500 years before the oldest bongs found in Africa. Clearly, there is a long and storied history behind smoking marijuana out of various different bongs, one we don’t even know the half of!
2. Bongs were used to communicate in the spirit world
Following the discovery of solid gold bongs on a 2400 year old Scythian burial mound. More interesting stories about the history of water pipes are revealed. As recounted by the Greek historian Herodotus in his work The Histories around 430BC, the Scythian consumed Cannabis as a way of communing with the spirit world, and subsequent discoveries indicate Cannabis was used by both men and women on a regular basis.
As a marauding warrior in the fourth century BC, life must have been difficult, so it’s not shocking that they used it to take fun and relief. Ancient Scythian artisans obviously didn’t craft the first bongs out of solid gold. They are thought to have originated from handheld wooden and clay braziers, which were small carved or moulded pots that could be filled with cannabis, then topped with hot stones or pebbles and inhaled the smoke and vapour.
The origin of Cannabis is deeply entwined with Scythian society. Their term Kanab is commonly thought to be the root word for Cannabis. They were also considered to be responsible for the widespread use of cannabis in what is now Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. They introduced it to Greece (from which we get the term Kannabis), and according to some ancient Arabic historians, it was brought to the Levant countries around 1100 by mongol invaders.
3. The Word Bong originated from Thai Language
The English word, ‘bong’ comes from the Thai word ‘baung’ which dates to around the 14th century and means a tube, usually made from bamboo, that’s used to smoke Cannabis or tobacco. The Thai word might itself come from the Bong’om tribe in Africa.
The first published use of the English word ‘bong’ was in a 1944 Thai-English dictionary by George Bradley McFarland. Some legends say that this word choice may have spread because of U.S. War Veterans returning to their homes, but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of evidence to support that theory. But with the rise of rubber, acrylic, and glass production, as well as soldiers returning from Vietnam, bongs became common in North America in the 1960s and 1970s.
Victor Hearns is an American multi-genre writer. He is best known as the author of two series of some popular books. Victor was born in Jacksonville, FL but grew up in California with her grandmother. Her education includes degrees in English and Biology from Stanford University. In her free time, he helps people around the globe to live healthier & joyful life.
