Archaeologeek

A clay pipe factory dating back to the 18th century has been found intact underground in Bath.

Archaeologists excavating an area in Sawclose discovered dozens of tobacco pipes inscribed with workers’ initials.

They found two five-and-a-half foot kilns among a series of other production rooms while preparing the site ahead of a planned £19 million casino, hotel and restaurant complex.

It is believed the factory operated between around 1780 and 1860 – before cigarettes were invented.

A team from Cotswolds Archaeology has worked carefully on the Sawclose project with Deeley Freed Estates, Richard Sermon of Bath and North East Somerset Council and Melanie Barge of Historic England since 2008.

A mystery of Roman archaeology: the dodecahedron, a small hollow object made of stone or bronze, with a dodecahedral shape. Roman dodecahedra tend to date from from the 2nd or 3rd centuries CE. 

It is unknown what the function or use of these artifacts was, and there has been no mention of them from sources of the era. Some uses which have been suggested include dice, candlestick holders (wax was found inside of one example), and some also speculate religious use. They seem to be often found at Gallo-Roman sites.

An interesting article for those interested: Hill, C. (1994), “Gallo-Roman Dodecahedra: a progress report”, The Antiquaries’ Journal 74: 289–292.

Tiny terracotta vase (3 1/16 x 3 15/16 in.) in the form of a ketos (sea monster). Greek, Cretan or South Italian, second half of 7th century BC.

Archaeological Description and Doubt Source: http://stanford.io/15TCpGe I wrote this paper for a session at the 2011 Meeting of the American Association of Anthropology in Montreal called Science and Technology Studies (STS) and Anthropology: What is the status of our descriptions? It is about time I posted it here. (Note 1) Archaeological description is rather peculiar. As we work at describing old things it is often the case that we simultaneously participate in their utter oblivion. Excavation, in particular, has often been taken, not only as synonymous with destruction, but also as a kind of unrepeatable experiment, if experiment is even the right metaphor……….. Read More

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