“…Because nicotine is relatively stable and can survive over archaeological time scales (Rafferty, 2002(Rafferty, , 2006Rafferty et al, 2012;Tushingham et al, 2013), and is typically introduced to the body via the mouth, we hypothesized that it may preserve in dental calculus. Tracing the ancient spread of tobacco in the Americas has traditionally relied on the presence of pipes and/or charred tobacco seeds (e.g., Adair, 2000;Adams and Toll, 2000;Carrasco et al, 2015;Echeverría et al, 2014;Gili et al, 2017;Haberman, 1984;Pauketat et al, 2002;Wagner, 2000;papers in Bollwerk andTushingham, 2016, Rafferty andMann, 2004), and more rarely preserved leaves, and/or quids (e.g., Adams et al, 2015;Fewkes, 1912:143;Jones, 1935;Morris, 1960) andpollen (e.g., Cummings, 2000). However, these items are rare in the archaeological record and are not linked to particular individuals, unless associated with specific burials, and even then, association with an individual is an inference rather than a direct measurement.…”