Wreck of a huge Ottoman vessel that sank around 1630 has been
found in deep water off Cyprus. Above, Chinese porcelain bowls.
Anchor
Green-glazed jar that contained Indian peppercorns
Digital image of one of the six canons
One of twelve copper coffee pots recovered so far
Bowls from Yemen
Stone tobacco pipe depicting a man riding a camel
Oh, WOW!
ReplyDeleteI have rice bowls virtually identical to those Ming dynasty bowls! I am certain mine are not more than a few decades old.
ReplyDelete"Stone tobacco pipe depicting a man riding a camel."
ReplyDeleteTobacco usage in the Ottoman Empire in 1630? Are we sure that's right?
Where were they getting it from, I wonder? Presumably the Dutch, although they had limited access if I'm not mistaken - I seem to recall that the trade was dominated by the English at that point, and most of the product went to British markets.
Obviously it's eminently possible that this was indeed a tobacco pipe... but do we have specific reason to believe it was a tobacco pipe specifically? Could it not have been for a different drug, such as opium or cannabis?
I imagine it hasn't been tested for organic residues, given that it came from a shipwreck and was only recently found. Is there some particular design element or other piece of evidence that would suggest it was a pipe for tobacco specifically?