Clay tobacco pipes from Klaipėda: The oldest finds and its origin, typology, and chronology, 1620-1680

Abstract

In the course of archaeological excavations in Klaipėda, fragments of almost ten thousand pipes have been found. Their chronology dates back to the 17th–19th centuries, and it is also known that most of these pipes came to the city, most likely by sea, from the Netherlands, Germany and other northwestern European countries, although local production is lacking. As only general research on Klaipėda pipes has been published so far, this article focuses on the specific period 1620–1680, when the first of this kind of product arrived in Klaipėda by sea. The article analyses the chronologically earliest clay pipes found during archaeological research in Klaipėda; based on the typology of the finds and known analogues, the author distinguishes the main types of pipes and identifies possible locations for pipe production.