Lisa


clay pipes are one of the most common things found on any archaeological
site, and there is tons of info on them.

first thing to look for is whether there are any marks on the pipe which
refer to a place, or initials or designs.  then, alhtough this isn't
fool-proof as there are a lot of regional differences, look at the hole
(if it is present) which is the bore-hole...and then take some drill bits,
which are divided as 3/64, 4/64, etc, and whichever fits comfortabley n
the hole is the bore size of the pipe.  generally, the smaller the bore
size is, the younger the pipe is.

look at the size and shape of the pipe bowl...is it small or is it pretty
big.  however, they are so common and there are so many out there.. the
best bet is to take a picture of it, make any remarks about makers' marks,
initials, etc and apply for help from a local expert...trust me, people
LOVE pipes, and i'm sure that someone in a local university would direct
you to someone.  also, there is the society for clay pipe research, which
is in England.  you can contact them and they would be most willing to
help.  i'm a member and can give you some addresses to someone who can
help you out wiht it.  there are lots of books on the shelves dealing with
pipes...the best are the british archaeological reports and it is a 14
volume series entitled the archaeology of the clay tobacco pipe, adn there
is a book that is a classic called clay pipes for the archaeologist by
adrian oswald.  but, the best bet is to take it to someone.

anyway, if you need more info or want those addressed, just email me and
let me know.

good luck
adrienne

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Adrienne Roberts
Archaeology Unit
Queen's College
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John's, NF
Canada
(709) 737-8869
(709) 726-3703 (home)
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