A really interesting item!
Regarding whistles and mouthpieces, I think there are two strikes against it. First, it looks to me like the hole on what would otherwise be a “mouthpiece” is pretty small in diameter, which would make it very difficult to get enough air into a bagpipe or recorder. For a whistle, there are some interesting comparisons to dog whistles and bosun’s whistles, even multi-component whistles that are like smoking pipes of similar structure, like this one from the nineteenth century:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/dc/53/65/dc5365eed54328414ef1d2e9fee89a85.jpg <https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/dc/53/65/dc5365eed54328414ef1d2e9fee89a85.jpg>
But the main problem that I see with the whistle issue is that the “window” should be close to the mouthpiece. This means that the finger holes used to change the whistle or flute tones are further along on the whistle body toward the foot.
http://www.ggwhistles.com/howto/whistleparts.png <http://www.ggwhistles.com/howto/whistleparts.png>
I also notice that the body of this object seems pierced with two holes which are not at opposite locations along the body. Is that correct John? The two holes in the body seems to be on opposite sides, but not opposite of each other. The higher one seems so close to the mouthpiece that I would expect one’s lips to cover it while blowing.
I also think that it is similar to some dog whistles though, which are different from “regular” whistles. So hard to say.
Seems to me like an excellent candidate for some experiments. 3D scan it, convert that model to a 3d printer file and make one! (or just hire a local woodworker or metal artist to make a replica. That will be faster and probably easier).
I also thought of a spindle, but I’m having a hard time seeing why it has three holes in those positions. Same for the plumb bob or survey item.
I forwarded your link to a few friends in the history of technology and history of cannons and armor.
Keep us posted!
Best,
Tim
> On Aug 27, 2017, at 9:42 AM, John Worth <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Thanks for the suggestions so far. Apart from the visual similarity, the
> bagpipe (Spanish *gaita*) mouthpiece seems unlikely for the reasons Cyler
> mentions, plus it's quite thick and heavy, and would be difficult to manage
> on a bagpipe, I suspect. The idea of a spindle seems potentially possible,
> though I'm not sure for exactly what. We have at least one ceramic spindle
> whorl from the site, probably Aztec, but this object is quite a bit
> heavier, even in its broken form. I'm also considering that it might be
> some sort of plumb bob, or even part of some sort of surveying or
> navigational instrument (though nothing so far seems to match).
>
> I appreciate all continuing suggestions if anyone comes up with some
> additional ideas. The artifact assemblage in the midden surrounding this
> object includes many of our standard Luna-era artifacts (16th-century
> Spanish olive jar and majolica, caret head nails, wrought iron spikes, lead
> shot, crossbow bolt tips, etc.), so there's a reasonable chance this is
> indeed Luna expedition-related.
>
> Thanks!
>
> John
>
> On Sat, Aug 26, 2017 at 10:42 PM, Jennifer Kimbell <[log in to unmask]
>> wrote:
>
>> I am just throwing this out there, but could it be a spindle? I don't
>> have access to many resources where I am at the moment, but that's what it
>> brings to mind for me.
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>> On Aug 26, 2017, at 6:28 PM, Cyler Conrad <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>>
>>> John, that's an interesting artifact!
>>>
>>> Dedie, no need to laugh at all :) I'm a bagpiper and it looks quite
>> similar
>>> to a pipe mouthpiece. The odd factors are the additional holes drilled
>>> perpendicular through the shaft. Those holes would make the blowpipe
>>> essentially useless, and they are not present on any modern/historical
>>> pipes that I know of...if this artifact represented a chanter, it's
>>> possible that you would find holes drilled through the shaft, but they
>>> should only appear on one side.
>>>
>>> I know Galician gaitas vary in design from Scottish (highland) pipes,
>>> especially in their drone structure, but these basic characteristics
>> should
>>> be the same. So I would be surprised, but also excited, if this was from
>> a
>>> bagpipe...I suspect though that it represents something else!
>>>
>>> Now you've inspired me to want to understand the archaeological record
>> for
>>> bagpipes!
>>>
>>> Take care,
>>> Cyler
>>>
>>> --
>>> Cyler Conrad, M.A., RPA
>>> Ph.D. Candidate
>>> Department of Anthropology
>>> University of New Mexico
>>> [log in to unmask]
>>>
>>>> On Sat, Aug 26, 2017 at 10:33 AM, Dedie Snow <[log in to unmask]>
>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> John, et al.
>>>> Please don't laugh, but my immediate reaction upon looking at the
>>>> photographs of the unidentified artifact from the Tristan de Luna site
>> was
>>>> that the object is the mouthpiece for a bagpipe. The problem is, I
>> don't
>>>> play the bagpipe or even have one close at hand for comparison.
>> According
>>>> to Wikipedia though, the Galician gaita was popular in Galicia and
>> northern
>>>> Portugal from the 9th century on. Now that I've gone way out on a limb,
>>>> I'd love to know what your unidentified object really is.
>>>>
>>>> Cheers,
>>>> Dedie Snow
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
>>>> Behalf Of John Worth
>>>> Sent: Friday, August 25, 2017 7:57 PM
>>>> To: [log in to unmask]
>>>> Subject: Artifact ID question: Luna settlement site, Pensacola
>>>>
>>>> I'd like to request help or suggestions regarding an unusual
>> copper-alloy
>>>> object that was found in general midden context at the Tristan de Luna
>>>> settlement site in Pensacola, Florida, and which may therefore date to
>> the
>>>> mid-16th century (and would thus join our substantial and growing
>>>> assemblage of Spanish materials from the expedition). However, it might
>>>> also derive from 20th-century occupation in the same vicinity, possibly
>>>> resulting from bioturbation from above. The object is thick-walled and
>>>> heavy, perhaps cast bronze, and has a narrow hole at the ball-shaped
>> tip,
>>>> as well as two narrow holes just below the tip at different positions on
>>>> opposite sides. It also has a larger hole off-center in the base, which
>>>> seems broken off, and which has localized corrosion traces around the
>>>> base. Despite its appearance, my impression is that it is too light and
>>>> small to be a nautical sounding weight, and it is too heavy to be some
>> sort
>>>> of whistle (two of the suggestions that have been made).
>>>>
>>>> The object is pictured in the album here:
>>>> https://www.flickr.com/photos/johneworth/albums/72157685583409904
>>>>
>>>> Thanks in advance!
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> John E. Worth, Ph.D.
>>>> Professor, Department of Anthropology
>>>> University of West Florida, 11000 University Parkway, Pensacola, FL
>> 32514
>>>> Phone: (850) 857-6204 Fax: (850) 857-6278 Email: [log in to unmask]
>>>> Home Page: http://www.uwf.edu/jworth/index.htm
>>>> Luna Settlement Project: http://lunasettlement.blogspot.com/
>>>> https://www.facebook.com/lunasettlementproject/
>>>> <http://www.uwf.edu/jworth/teaching.htm#Advisement>
>>>>
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>
>
>
> --
> John E. Worth, Ph.D.
> Professor, Department of Anthropology
> University of West Florida, 11000 University Parkway, Pensacola, FL 32514
> Phone: (850) 857-6204 Fax: (850) 857-6278 Email: [log in to unmask]
> Home Page: http://www.uwf.edu/jworth/index.htm
> Luna Settlement Project: http://lunasettlement.blogspot.com/
> https://www.facebook.com/lunasettlementproject/
> <http://www.uwf.edu/jworth/teaching.htm#Advisement>
>
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