Where does the word bong come from?

From the Thai word baung, which referred to a bamboo tube used for smoking. The word entered English in the mid-20th century as travelers brought the design and the name back from Southeast Asia.

How old is the oldest known bong?

About 2,400 years. In 2013 archaeologists found solid gold water pipes in Scythian burial mounds in southern Russia, used by nomadic chieftains around 400 BC.

Does a bong actually filter smoke?

The water catches ash and some particulate matter and cools the smoke, which is why hits feel smoother. Smoother does not mean harmless, so pace yourself the same way you would with any method.

The History of the Bong: From Ancient Gold to Modern Glass

April 18, 2022

You might not give much thought to the multitude of bongs lining the shelves of your local dispensary, but the tradition of smoking cannabis out of a bong dates back thousands of years. Throughout the history of the bong, it’s been the go-to device for people across the globe—spanning seemingly every social class—and continues to adapt to the changing needs of cannabis consumers.

The bong sitting on a shelf today has a family tree that runs through royal burial mounds, bamboo groves, and the glassblowing studios of the Pacific Northwest. It is one of the oldest pieces of technology in cannabis culture, and the story is better than most people expect.

Royalty smoked first: the 2,400-year-old gold bongs

In 2013, archaeologists excavating Scythian burial mounds in southern Russia uncovered something remarkable: solid gold water pipes, about 2,400 years old, with residue suggesting the nomadic chieftains who owned them used cannabis, sometimes blended with other plants. The Scythians were fierce horseback warriors described by the Greek historian Herodotus, and their taste in smoking equipment was, literally, royal. The water pipe was born luxurious.

Africa and Asia refine the idea

Water filtration shows up independently across the ancient world. In parts of Africa, smokers built earthen pipes and used horns and gourds as water chambers. Across Central and Southeast Asia, the bamboo tube became the standard. The concept traveled the trade routes the way good ideas always have, refined by every culture that adopted it.

The word itself: baung

The English word bong comes from the Thai baung, a bamboo tube used for smoking. Thai bamboo water pipes were elegant in their simplicity: a section of bamboo, water in the bottom, a bowl on the side. Travelers and American servicemen in Southeast Asia in the mid-20th century brought both the design and the word home, and it stuck.

Glass changes everything

The modern era begins with American glass artists in the 1970s through the 1990s, most famously Bob Snodgrass, who toured with the Grateful Dead and pioneered fuming techniques that made glass shift color with use. Borosilicate glass, the same durable material as laboratory equipment, became the standard: easy to clean, neutral in flavor, and endlessly sculptable. What had been bamboo and ceramic became an art form, with percolators, ice catchers, and recyclers pushing function as far as form.

Why water, anyway?

The design survived 24 centuries because it works. The water catches ash and some particulates and cools the smoke before it reaches you, which makes for a noticeably smoother experience than dry methods. Smoother is not the same as harmless, so the start-low rule applies here like everywhere else. Bong hits tend to be bigger than they feel.

From the Scythians to Washington Street

Today the water pipe sits comfortably in the mainstream alongside pre-rolls and vapes, and the flower going into it is better than anything a Scythian chieftain ever packed. If you are building out your own setup or just curious what pairs well with one, stop by the shop in West Roxbury and ask. We love this stuff, obviously: we wrote you a history lesson about it.

About the author

Jeff Similien is the founder and CEO of Lowkey Dispensary, a family-owned, Social Equity cannabis dispensary in West Roxbury, Boston. Raised in Dorchester, Jeff opened Lowkey in 2023 after a seven-year licensing journey and built the shop around one idea: good cannabis, no extra noise. When he is not at the shop, he is mentoring Boston students in business and real estate. Read more about Lowkey.

For adults 21 and older. Please consume responsibly. Keep cannabis products away from children and pets, and never drive or operate machinery after consuming. This article is general information, not medical advice.