The Pilling Figurines are a set of eleven clay figurines made by the Fremont culture

Fremont culture

The Fremont culture or Fremont people is a pre-Columbian archaeological culture which received its name from the Fremont River in the U.S. state of Utah where the first Fremont sites were discovered. The Fremont River itself is named for John Charles Frémont, an American explorer. It inhabited...

. They were discovered in 1950 by Clarence Pilling under a rock overhang in a side canyon of Range Creek

Range Creek

Range Creek, rising in the Book Cliffs in Emery County, Utah, is a high tributary of the Colorado River. It flows into the Price River near Price, Utah. The Price then flows into the Green River, a major tributary of the Colorado...

, Utah

Utah

Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...

. Ten of figurines are currently on display at the College of Eastern Utah Prehistoric Museum

College of Eastern Utah Prehistoric Museum

The USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum, formerly known as the College of Eastern Utah Prehistoric Museum, is a museum accredited by the American Association of Museums located in Price, Utah. The museum seeks to promote public understanding of prehistory through interpretive exhibits, educational...

 in Price, Utah

Price, Utah

Price is a city in Carbon County, Utah, United States. The city is home to the USU-College of Eastern Utah, as well as the large USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum affiliated with the college. Price is located within short distances from both Nine Mile Canyon and the Manti-La Sal National Forest...

. It is estimated that they were made 800 to 900 years ago.

The Pilling Figurines are 4 to 6 inches in height. They are constructed of unbaked clay and show evidence of red, buff, and black paint. Each is distinctive and appears to have been made in matching male and female pairs leaving an unmatched female figurine.

External links

• Smithsonian
  Smithsonian (magazine)
  Smithsonian is the official journal published by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The first issue was published in 1970.-History:...
  
  , March 2006, "Secrets of the Range Creek Ranch", pp. 68–75.
• CEU Prehistoric Museum Hall of Archaeology
• CEU Prehistoric Museum Hall of Archaeology Pilling Figurines Handout