Clay Tobacco-Pipe Research and Historical Archaeology in Germany, a Difficult Relationship

Abstract

Clay tobacco-pipe studies played an important, yet unacknowledged, role in the formation process of historical archaeology in Germany. Systematic analyses of smoking utensils and the craftsmanship involved in making them were the forerunners of the academic discipline. Clay-pipe studies were never restricted by disciplinary boundaries. Methods and approaches were drawn from ethnology, archaeology, and history, but the field remained purely Eurocentric. However, clay-pipe research has come to a halt. One important reason for this is its high degree of specialization. But, otherwise, historical archaeology is currently on the upswing, despite its unsatisfying engagement with material culture, especially that of the late 18th century onwards. This article illustrates the development and demise of clay-pipe research in Germany in the context of the emergence of historical archaeology as a discipline. It includes elements in common with clay-pipe research in the United States and in Britain, and it also highlights significant differences.