Animation of the Day: Smoking Pipe with Masonic Symbol from James Madison’s Montpelier

by Bernard K. Means, Director of the Virtual Curation Laboratory

Today’s animation is a clay smoking pipe with Masonic symbol that was recovered from James Madison’s Montpelier.This object was scanned in the archaeology laboratory at Montpelier on July 8, 2015.  As James Madison himself was not a Mason, Dr. Matthew Reeves, director of archaeology at Montpelier, notes there are two possibilities for the origin of this pipe: 1) it may have belonged to one of Madison’s guests, or 2) it may have to a member of the enslaved community at Montpelier, as suggested by descendants of this community that helped recover the smoking pipe.

Animation of the Day: American Indian Smoking Pipe from James Madison’s Montpelier

by Bernard K. Means, Director of the Virtual Curation Laboratory

 

Today’s animation is an American Indian smoking pipe that was recovered from James Madison’s Montpelier.The design on this pipe suggests that it is non-local in origin.

Animation of the Day: Ashanti Pipe Bowl from West Africa

by Bernard K. Means, Director of the Virtual Curation Laboratory

 

Today’s animation is an Ashanti pipe bowl from West Africa that was purchased in a market. It was scanned in the Virtebra Virtual Bones and Artifacts Lab at the University of West Florida and downloaded from their GitHUB portal. More information on Ashanti pipes can be found here.

Animated Object of the Day: Early 17th Century Smoking Pipe from Jamestown

by Bernard K. Means, Director of the Virtual Curation Laboratory

 

Today’s animation is an early 17th century smoking pipe that was scanned in Jamestown Rediscovery‘s archaeological laboratory. This pipe was scanned as part of an effort to create a digital type collection of temporally diagnostic pipe forms, which will also be replicated using a 3D printer.

Animated Object of the Day: Mid-17th Century Smoking Pipe from Jamestown

by Bernard K. Means, Director of the Virtual Curation Laboratory

 

Today’s animation is a mid-17th century smoking pipe that was scanned in Jamestown Rediscovery‘s archaeological laboratory. This pipe was scanned as part of an effort to create a digital type collection of temporally diagnostic pipe forms, which will also be replicated using a 3D printer.

Animated Object of the Day: American Indian Smoking Pipe from Jamestown

by Bernard K. Means, Director of the Virtual Curation Laboratory

 

Today’s animation is a clay American Indian smoking pipe that was scanned in Jamestown Rediscovery‘s archaeological laboratory on September 5, 2014.  The pipe bowl has a geometric punctate design and retains soil that may be chemically analyzed at a future date.

Animation of the Day: Late 17th Century Smoking Pipe from Jamestown

by Bernard K. Means, Director of the Virtual Curation Laboratory (VCL)

 

Today’s animation is an early 17th century smoking pipe recovered archaeologically by Jamestown Rediscovery, dating to ca. 1670.

Animation of the Day: Early 17th Century Smoking Pipe from Jamestown

by Bernard K. Means, Director of the Virtual Curation Laboratory (VCL)

Today’s animation is an early 17th century smoking pipe recovered archaeologically by Jamestown Rediscovery.  It was found in the same cellar as the remains of a young woman known as “Jane.” For more on the individual identified as “Jane” whose body exhibits evidence of cannibalism, you can read Jane’s Story here.

Animation of the Day: Zoomorphic Smoking Pipe with Brass Eye in Color

by Bernard K. Means, Director of the Virtual Curation Laboratory

This clay smoking pipe from the collections of The State Museum of Pennsylvania was made and used by the Susquehannock Indians during the later 1600s A.D.   and was recovered from the Byrd Leibhart Site, located in York County, Pennsylvania. Archaeologists originally identified the animal as representing a bear but our research shows that it was likely a Fisher or Fisher Cat, which is a member of the weasel family. The eyes of the Fisher cat were made with brass tacks traded from European settlers.  One has fallen out. A video produced for Instagram by Archaeology in the Community in the Virtual Curation Laboratory features the Virtual Curation Laboratory’s Rachael Hulvey discussing the object, using a printed version made with a MakerBot Replicator.  The InstaGram video can be found here:http://instagram.com/p/jFcjJ4qqU1/

Animated Object of the Day: Smoking Pipe from Jamestown

by Bernard K. Means, Director of the Virtual Curation Laboratory

Today’s animation is a clay smoking pipe that was scanned in Jamestown Rediscovery‘s archaeological laboratory on June 26, 2014, the same day that it was recovered from the field.  The pipe bowl retains soil that may be chemically analyzed at a future date.

Field school students at Jamestown after they recovered the pipe. Image courtesy of Historic Jamestowne.

Curator of Archaeology Merry Outlaw watches as the pipe is scanned.