Prehistoric Pipe Replication and Analysis, A Deeper Look into the Bowl

Summary

Smoking pipes have played an integral role for many American Southwestern groups. My research project conducts a thorough investigation into the construction of prehistoric ceramic and stone pipes. Using only stone tools, I conduct construction and use-wear analysis on the tools used to create pipes as well as the pipes themselves. I analyze the two materials most used among Southwestern Native American groups, local Southwestern clay (from the Tucson Basin) and vesicular basalt. Measuring the time spent using different techniques such as drilling, pecking, grinding, and clay shaping I investigate the most efficient methods for producing stone and ceramic pipes. Analyzing tool use-wear also provides insights into different wear patterns from different techniques. This research helps us understand the efforts prehistoric groups took to create objects of spiritual importance and aids in the understanding of their construction.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• A Flurry of Field Schools in the Upper Gila and Mimbres Drainages   •
• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15489