More artifacts housed in Springfield Illinois

[Mark Todd]

Here's a few Hopewell, middle woodland period platform pipes.
A river otter pipe, a raven pipe, and a toad pipe made of limestone.
The otter pipe has copper inlaid in its eyes (although it can't be seen in the pictures). The raven pipe has freshwater pearls inlaid for eyes.

 

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[justonemore]

Thanks for sharing all you've posted from the museum Mark.

 

[filmiracl]

What culture and how old is stuff like that?

 

[Tony in SC]

"Amazing"

 

[unclemac]

wow..effigies that look like what they are supposed to...go figure....

 

[captain redbeard]

amazing craftsmanship.

 

[Nwohseeker]

Sorry only natural rocks..... oops sorry was just a knee jerk reaction maybe some new members will see this post and realize that you don't have to squint or turn the object just the right way and look through your bad eye to see what an effigy is. Those are amazing artifacts. As others have said thanks for posting those pics.

 

[Old Pueblo]

Those are incredible. Makes me want to learn more about the prehistoric Indians from back east. Im more familiar with western stuff, which can be pretty impressive, but these are amazing.

 

[Old Pueblo]

What culture and how old is stuff like that?

Its prehistoric I think so at least 5 centuries old.

 

[Mark Todd]

What culture and how old is stuff like that?

Middle Woodland Hopewell culture dates roughly 350 BC to 350 AD.

 

[Mark Todd]

Those are incredible. Makes me want to learn more about the prehistoric Indians from back east. Im more familiar with western stuff, which can be pretty impressive, but these are amazing.

Here's some summary information for your "learning"[emoji106]

It's hard to imagine one upping the raven pipe shown above however this northern Illinois pipe does just that it's even finer and it's realistic and articulate craftsmanship...

 

[rock]

I have to ask and I mean no disrespect but how do you know the pipes are real with all of the fakes made now days? They look nice by the way.

 

[Mark Todd]

I have to ask and I mean no disrespect but how do you know the pipes are real with all of the fakes made now days? They look nice by the way.

Hey rock, that's a legitimate question, no disrespect taken.
Every platform pipe shown in this thread was excavated by field archaeologists.
The book that the pictures above are taken from was written by several Illinois field archaeologists whose work was critiqued by many other Illinois field archaeologists before the book was published.
However since the authors of this book wanted to make it a point identification book like no other ever printed they did have to go to some private collectors to get examples of various types of projectile points and knives.This was necessary because they wanted to show a dozen and a half or three dozen examples of every Point type in order to demonstrate how much variation there is in each type depending on size and even differences when found in certain regions. For all of those artifacts the authors consulted Steve Repp, an artifact authenticator who used to work for Morphy's auction house and also at the Gilcrease Museum in Oklahoma as an authenticator. He's also one of the main go to guys for the deep deep pocket collectors out there who want to make sure they're purchasing The real McCoy.
The facility in Springfield Illinois where the first three pipes are housed is not a museum it is a Fort Knox of Illinois's archaeological finds throughout its history. It is like a large library only instead of books on the shelves it's thousands and thousands of large cardboard boxes each filled with archaeological material derived from various sites throughout the state. The building has the latest state of the art security video surveillance even in the hallways not only to watch anyone who visits but those who work there. It also has constant temperature and humidity control 66° I believe and 50% humidity for best preservation of the non stone artifacts.
Here's a few pictures of the inside of the storage facility and it hardly demonstrates how big it is but you can get a little idea, try to wrap your head around how much artifactual material must be in there!
Whoops I don't have pictures of the facility on my iPad I'll have to retrieve them from my phone and I'll post them shortly hereafter, but I think that answers your question and more.

 

[Mark Todd]

Some pictures of the collection and preservation facility...
Notice the dugout canoe under wraps on top of the locked filing cabinet's in this picture, there was also another one larger in the hallway under wraps as we were moving towards this large room.

 

[justonemore]

Row after row, stack after stack and that's just one museum. Can you imagine?

 

[History Hunter02]

I have a poster on my wall of some effigies. Beautiful artifacts there.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

If you don't object to my sharing on your thread here is one from Calloway County Missouri. Found walking a spring fed stone bottom creek in late 90s.

A lot of my artifacts I found walking creeks and streams after water receded from heavy rains.




January 20, 2017 A New Beginning!

 

[Mark Todd]

If you don't object to my sharing on your thread here is one from Calloway County Missouri. Found walking a spring fed stone bottom creek in late 90s.

A lot of my artifacts I found walking creeks and streams after water receded from heavy rains.


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January 20, 2017 A New Beginning!

Yep, that's a very fine looking pipe you've got in your collection, it didn't go unnoticed when you posted this picture a month or so ago.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

The platform pipe in picture I did not find, I got it from a good friend/collector from Ohio back in the mid 90s, it had been killed and glued back together.

 

[Old Pueblo]

If you don't object to my sharing on your thread here is one from Calloway County Missouri. Found walking a spring fed stone bottom creek in late 90s.

A lot of my artifacts I found walking creeks and streams after water receded from heavy rains.


View attachment 1509307View attachment 1509308View attachment 1509309

January 20, 2017 A New Beginning!

Thats amazing!