The Oldest Tamper in the World.

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Uguccione

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jan 22, 2024
108
256
Italy
...I think I have it.

My father found it at sea while underwater fishing in the 1950s, along with amphorae, plates and various pottery.
It was an entire load of a Roman ship wrecked not far from the coast of Tuscany. Everything was perfectly preserved because it had sunk into a muddy bottom and remained there for two thousand years.
The only thing to do in these cases is to call the finance office (or in any case the relevant state body) and notify them of the discovery.
WITHOUT TOUCHING ANYTHING.
My father, however, didn't do it and took home a good load of ancient artefacts.
Upon his death we quickly got rid of everything, but I wanted to keep this two-millennia-old copper tamper, also to demonstrate that the ancient Romans already smoked pipes.
 

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anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
15,836
29,686
45
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
...I think I have it.

My father found it at sea while underwater fishing in the 1950s, along with amphorae, plates and various pottery.
It was an entire load of a Roman ship wrecked not far from the coast of Tuscany. Everything was perfectly preserved because it had sunk into a muddy bottom and remained there for two thousand years.
The only thing to do in these cases is to call the finance office (or in any case the relevant state body) and notify them of the discovery.
WITHOUT TOUCHING ANYTHING.
My father, however, didn't do it and took home a good load of ancient artefacts.
Upon his death we quickly got rid of everything, but I wanted to keep this two-millennia-old copper tamper, also to demonstrate that the ancient Romans already smoked pipes.
Love history wish he would have got the thing recorded and documented, however can't really complain because at this point it's ancient history. That's not a tamper by the way, would tell you what it is but the mods might get mad at me so I'll just say it's like tooth pick but you don't want it in that orifice.
 
Cool piece of history what ever it is. But according to things I've read, no Tamper is older than the 17th century. I'm sure before tampers they did use sticks, their finger, and whatever else.
I think he was being cheeky, like if I used an ancient Sumerian artifact as a tamper in my pipe, it would be an ancient Sumerian tamper
 

Uguccione

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jan 22, 2024
108
256
Italy
I repeat, it is a tamper, the scientific community has already expressed itself in this sense. The only problem is that the head is quite large, it works with pots but not with chimneys. This also makes us understand what the shape preferred by the ancient Romans was.