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Clay pipes turn up in almost every urban excavation
and are represented in many collections. The ornamentation and marks
on clay pipes can tell us much about where and when they were made,
about the political feeling at the time, and also about forgeries
and even industrial espionage. These everyday objects used in the
17th to 20th centuries can be accurately dated to within a few years.
Thus clay pipes have become a "key fossil" for modern
archaeologists and can help considerably in dating the associated
finds. In addition the clay pipe provides an important interdisciplinary
link between cultural history and the history of crafts, stimulant-taking
and archaeology.
KnasterKOPF is the only German-speaking archaeological periodical
to specialise on this branch of modern archaeology. Each issue contains
research reports, accounts of recent finds in Germany, Austria and
Switzerland, book reviews and a list of new literature on clay pipes.
Although KnasterKOPF deals predominantly with clay pipes, it also
covers general aspects of the history of tobacco and more specific
aspects such as porcelain and meerschaum pipes. KnasterKOPF provides
a scientific forum for experts as well as amateur archaeologists
and historians, as well as collectors.
KnasterKOPF is closely associated with the activities of the German
Society for Clay-Pipe Research and appears once a year, normally
to coincide with the annual meeting of the Society in April/May.
It contains reports on the meetings and research activities of similar
groups in other European countries. Abstracts are provided in English,
Dutch and French, enabling KnasterKOPF to be read throughout Europe.
KnasterKOPF is produced on behalf of the Hamburg Museum for Archaeology
and the History of Harburg, the Helms Museum Hamburg.
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