Pap. No!' alY" JOHN H. KERR RESERVOIR BASIN — ^MILLER 133 



Fragmentary steatite vessels were recovered from the surface, as 

 well as from the cultural deposits of Hyco River site (44Ha6) , Grassy 

 Creek site (44Mc53), Howe site (44Mc6G), Russell site (44Mc67), 

 Hundley site (44McT2), and site 44Mc75, which is outside of the 

 reservoir proper but close enough to be affected by it. As a rule, the 

 vessels are thick walled, flat bottomed, rounded or flat lipped, and 

 the exteriors are left roughened, while the interiors are well smoothed. 

 Handles occur in the form of knobs or lugs, rounded or roughly rec- 

 tangular in outline, and are placed at or near the rim. Vessel form is 

 eitlier rouglily circular or oval in shape. 



CERAJ^IICS 



With the advent of pottery making, around 1000 B.C., at the close 

 of the Archaic Period, there ensued a transitional period which 

 terminated into what has been called the Early Woodland Culture 

 Horizon. Pottery proved to be of the utmost importance. Of all the 

 tangible residium in a site, pottery is of prime importance and is con- 

 sidered one of the most reliable of the diagnostics, since it reflects the 

 subtle cultural changes that took place from time to time within the 

 various primitive societies. 



In a sense pottery has assumed a significance far out of all propor- 

 tion to its place in the overall Indian cultural pattern, since it does 

 not rightfully depict the true cultural importance that the aborigines 

 attach to it, but because of its ability to endure for long periods of 

 time, it affords the archeologist a very subtle yet serviceable tool. 



The material from which the various vessels are made, the fact that 

 they are physically altered by means of fire to guarantee their perma- 

 nancy of form, and the brittleness of their nature — a liability to being 

 broken — all are assets to a student of aboriginal cultures. As indi- 

 cated by the numerous fragmentary clay vessels in their midden heaps 

 and scattered throughout their living areas, clay vessels were con- 

 stantly being broken, which necessitated continual replacement. The 

 new vessels would, of necessity, reflect any cultural changes in methods 

 of manufacture, form, and style of decoration or ornamentation. 

 Such changes would not only indicate geographical limitations, cul- 

 tural growth, progress in craftsmanship), development of the artistic 

 temperaments, but would also indicate any degree of contact with, 

 either directly or indirectly, any new ideas, arrival of new people into 

 the area, as well as any trade relationships established between outside 

 groups by subsequent migrations. 



Since pottery remains are most numerous among the recovered 

 artifacts, pottery is given careful treatment in this study. 



