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American Indian pipe likely to become Ohio's official artifact

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COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 29 (UPI) -- A 2,000-year-old tobacco pipe discovered in an ancient American Indian burial ground in on track to become Ohio's official state artifact, officials said.

The stone pipe, carved into the image of a man wearing a loin cloth, loop earrings and headgear, was discovered more than 100 years ago at a burial ground near Chillicothe and the state Senate has approved a bill to designate it as Ohio's official artifact, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reported Monday.

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A state House committee approved the Senate's bill Tuesday and sent it to the floor of the House, where committee Chairman Terrence Blair, R-Washington Township, said he expects it to be "favorably voted on."

The pipe is on display at the Ohio Historical Society in Columbus.

"It's the earliest representation we have of a human in all of Ohio history or prehistory," said Brad Lepper, curator of archeology for the Ohio Historical Society.

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