Native American, Eastern United States, Kentucky, Christian County, Mississippian, ca. 1000 CE. An interesting pair of pottery pipes with a distinctive "elbow" shape and hollow interior. Both pipes have a curved profile with a flattened base upon which they can rest upright. There are openings on both ends to serve as inhalation and fill holes. Smoking pipes seem to have played an important role in Eastern Woodland cultures, which spanned from sub-Arctic Canada to the southern United States. The earliest evidence we have for the use of tobacco in this area comes from ca. 100 to 200 CE. In addition, and prior to tobacco, we know from ethnohistorical accounts that people smoked a variety of other plants, including dogwood, juniper, sumac, and bearberry. Size larger pipe: 4" L x 2" W x 2.25" H (10.2 cm x 5.1 cm x 5.7 cm); smaller: 3" L x 1.5" W x 3" H (7.6 cm x 3.8 cm x 7.6 cm)

This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated.

Provenance: private Kansas City, Missouri, USA collection; ex-John Townsend collection, formed in the 1970s and earlier

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#162185

Chips to rims on smaller pipe and TL hole on base. Larger pipe has chips and losses around rims. Stable fissure from rim vertically down body. TL hole on base. Find site label attached and old inventory number on surface.