[Talk] Clay Tobacco Pipes from Fort Cornwallis, Penang

Readers may be interested in this talk by Nurul Ain Ali on colonial archaeology in Penang.

More than 30,000 artefacts dated to 18th to 20th century were uncovered through a series of archaeological excavations conducted at Storeroom, Fort Cornwallis. Among these artefacts, a total of 107 clay tobacco pipes were unearthed from storeroom area. Clay tobacco pipes play vital roles in the study of historical archaeology because unlike other classes of artefact which may have been circulated for half a century or more before disposal, the period of circulation of an individual pipe was limited. This made them possible to offer insights into the historical usage of early disposable commodities and their relationship to larger economic force during a period of rapid change in Penang’s history. This presentation, therefore, focuses on morphological analysis of the clay tobacco pipes to provide information regarding the chronology, function, and modes of deposition during the colonial era.

Source: Clay Tobacco Pipes from Fort Cornwallis, Penang