This is the wierdest item I've found this year

[Yooper14]

And I have no clue what it is. Let me TRY to describe it. It's made of really rough-looking clay. On the inside it looks as if it were hand made, as there are marks that look like fingers pushing through mud. In fact, there is even a little bit of a finger-print! I only have part of it, but it's shaped sorta like a little house with a roof, but then there's oriental-looking writing on the side. What IS it??

 

[Yooper14]

Here's a closer view of the writing:

 

[Yooper14]

Here's the inside. I didn't get it focused enough to see the fingerprint.

 

[capsoda]

Hey Tim, It looks like part of a portable shrine. Buddists use them when there away from a real shrine. They were sometime used as family shrines or incence burners.

 

[APOTHEHUTCH]

man,that is strange.sure looks like something was burning in there. i too agree,probably for incence.you should hunt down an oriental translator on the web and try to find out whats written on it.im no expert,but it looks chinese.
i was just reading an old bottle magizine backissue(oct.1980) a few weeks ago,and it delt with diggin the west,and all the opium pipes dug with raised oriental writings on the side. kinda similar looking stuff to what you got.
would like to hear more about the dig that this came out of.

 

[diginit]

Hi Yooper,
Looks like an incense burner to me. Part of religous practices for centuries in many cultures. Love the handmade look.

 

[Bottle tumbler]

here is a strange one for you,,,,, teeth in a bottle. i guess the message is in there someplace to in between the teeth.[] 29 of them in there. no gold or silver in them just teeth. got to grossed out over the sumer so out they went.

 

[southern Maine diver]

Bottle Tumbler...

I know my mother used to save all of our baby teeth that were hidden under the pillow for the "Tooth Fairy" and my wife still saves our kids teeth... I don't know if that is what you found or not, but its' a thought[8|]

Wayne

 

[Yooper14]

ApotheHutch,
The dig I'm at is a boarding school dump from the turn of the century. I find things from 1890 - 1930. The school was a parochial school, so if it had to do with Opium or drugs that would be even more curious.
Yooper