Bone, pipe? Need your help please .....

[Henryadams1492]

Found on a mississippiam era site, this one intrigues me. It does not look like bone and almost has a clay like feel to it. If read about clay tobacco pipes. I know it's just a fragment, but can you help ID this? From Illinois.

 

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[tnmudman]

Looks like a bone fragment to me I doubt it is part of a pipe

 

[Henryadams1492]

I thought it was bone too but it lacks typical marrow. I'm not quite sold on that....,yet

 

[Kray Gelder]

It looks like a fragment of one of those elongated colonial pipes I have seen pictures of. I vote pipe. Google colonial clay pipes images. My money is on your fragment is part of the bowl of one of those type pipes. Nice find!

 

[coloradocav1]

looks bone. seriously lick your finger and stick it on the piece. If it's sticky, it's bone because of porousness.

 

[Henryadams1492]

Yep, tried that and in did not stick. I've tried that on other bones/fossils and know this trick. Under magnification, there is no marrow. It looks like a solid material. Whatever it is, it appears to be from what I can tell manufactured.

 

[tnmudman]

The marrow would be long gone

 

[diggingthe1]

I wonder what it would do on a streak plate, or rubbing it on some white porcelain. Looks like clay or pottery which can look layered.

 

[monsterrack]

It's bone if you will stick a lighter to it , it will stink. Trade pipes that I have seen where not that thick at the bowl and the stem was way more narrow.

 

[Henryadams1492]

Thanks for your help. Considering that there was 2 opinions, I'm curious what the tell tale signs are of this being bone? Primary reason is that I want to learn and see what you guys see In this piece. Also I own another civil war clay pipe that has the exact same dimensions as this piece. If you pair them together, they are the same diameter and thickness. Since the piece does not stick to wet skin ( I have a Lot of fossils and know how that works), not sure why it would stick if it was bone.
Again, thanks for your feedback. I'm writing a paper on local archaeology and want to be sure that I include true items in the manuscript.
Thanks

 

[Henryadams1492]

We're tools ever made of bone?

 

[Indian Steve]

Native Americans used lots of tools made from bone.