History of the United States in 100 Objects -- 1: Panther Effigy Pipe, 200-500 AD - a podcast by Samuel Biagetti

PANTHER EFFIGY PIPE
-Found in Posey County, Indiana
-Carved from Steatite
-dated to the MIddle Woodland Period, 200-500 AD.

In the first of the series on American objects and artifacts, we examine a tobacco pipe in the form of a wildcat -- specifically a puma, whose name comes from the Quechua word for "powerful." It was most likely used in rituals by shamans or priests of the Hopewell civilization, which built enormous, mysterious ceremonial complexes resembling Stonehenge -- only lacking a source of stone, did so out of wood and earth. The effigy pipe reflects the artistic range and sophistication of the Hopewell as well as their fascination with the mythic power of animals.

Please become a patron and contribute what you can in the spirit of knowledge and inquiry! -- www.patreon.com/user?u=5530632

Further episodes of Historiansplaining: A historian tells you why everything you know is wrong

Further podcasts by Samuel Biagetti

Website of Samuel Biagetti