Prehistoric Ceramics in Maryland

Native Americans in Maryland first made pottery around 1000 B.C. (3000 years ago). These first slab manufactured pots resembled the carved steatite (soapstone) bowls that were made before the introduction of ceramic technology. As new techniques were introduced, coil constructed conoidal shaped vessels became prevalent. The prehistoric pottery found in Maryland is an unglazed, low-fired earthenware.

A material added increase the plasticity or workability of the clay and to add strength to the final product is called temper. The earliest ceramics made on the East Coast of the United states were fiber-tempered wares along the Gulf Coast ca. 2500 B.C. Gradually ceramic technology spread north and by the time it reached the Chesapeake Bay region, various crushed-up rocks and sand were being added to the clay as temper. As can be seen by the variety of ware types in the Early Woodland period, there was a lot of experimentation going on to learn what materials and methods worked best. By the end of the Early Woodland, ca. 200 B.C., most pottery was being made in distinctive conoidal and semi-conoidal shapes, tempered with sand or various crushed rocks, and malleated with cord or net wrapped paddles that left distinctive patterns on the vessels’ surfaces. Decorations became more prevalent in time and were made by incising, direct cord impressions and cord-wrapped stick impressions in a variety of designs. Punctations and additions of lugs and nodules were also used as decoration.

Archaeologists base distinctions between pottery types on the tempering agents, how the exterior and interior surfaces were manipulated during construction, shape and form of the vessel and styles of decoration. For purposes of the pottery definitions presented here we are using the ware – type format standardized by Robert Stephenson in his analysis of the Accokeek Creek collection (Stephenson et al. 1963). He divided out wares based on temper and then subdivided these into types that are based on surface treatments and decoration techniques. Stephenson’s work in turn, was based on Clifford Evans’ work (1955) to categorize the types of ceramics found in Virginia and neighboring areas. While many of the types we recognize today can be found within wares defined by Evans, his terms are generally no longer used in Maryland due to chronological problems that have been identified by researchers in the succeeding years.

To create this web page we reviewed the available literature and established a standardized format to present the pottery definitions. On each definition page there is an example image, a side view of a sherd to show the paste, and a map showing the distribution in Maryland of this pottery. By clicking on the ceramic image at the top of the page, a photo gallery of additional examples is made available. These pages are also accessible through the Site Map under the listing for Photo Gallery.