NYC Archaeologists Uncover Tobacco Pipes

(Pipes Magazine) ... Attesting to both their popularity and fragility, 1,470 fragments of clay tobacco pipes were found on the project site. Though pipes are utilitarian objects, their design, decoration, and maker’s marks can be seen as icons for the brief period of time in which each was manufactured and used. Tobacco, native to America, was introduced to Europe in the mid-1500s. By the 17th century it was popular among all segments of society, regardless of class, race, or gender.
Since pipes frequently broke and were easily replaced, they are often found in archeological deposits. Continued