FEWKES] ANTIQUITIES OF MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK 69 



The basis of the study of symbolism was of course the pottery deco- 

 ration. x\s a rule the center of the inside of the food bowls is plain, 

 but several have this portion ornamented with squares, triangles, and 

 other figures. The outside of several bowls from Cliff Palace and 

 Spruce-tree House is decorated, notwithstanding Nordenskiold speaks 

 of exterior decoration as rare in his collections from the Mesa Verde, 

 The geometric ornaments consist of rectangular figures." 



Mugs. — Some authors have questioned whether the prehistoric peo- 

 ple of the Southwest were familiar with this form of pottery. Tho 

 collections from Cliff Palace (pi. 24-26) and Spruce- tree House set 

 at rest any reasonable doubt on this point. There are, however, 

 peculiarities in the form of mugs from Mesa Verde. The diameter 

 of the base is generally larger, tapering gently toward the mouth, and 

 one end of the handle is rarely affixed to the rim. The inside of the 

 mug is not usually decorated, but the exterior bears geometrical de- 

 signs in which terraces, triangles, and parallel lines predominate. 

 Curved lines are rare, and spirals are absent. Mugs with two handles 

 are unrepresented. There are no ladles in the collection, but several 

 broken handles of ladles were found in the refuse. One of these is 

 decorated with a series of parallel, longitudinal, and transverse lines, 

 a design as widely spread as Pueblo potterj'', extending across the 

 boundary into Mexico. 



Globular Vessels. — The globular form of pottery was used for 

 carrying water and seems to have been common at Cliff Palace. 

 One of these vessels (pi. 25, h) has a small neck, and attached to it 

 are two ej^elets for insertion of the thong by which it was carried. 

 Some of the globular vessels (pi. 25, a) have the neck small, the 

 orifice wide, and the lip perforated with holes for strings. Double- 

 lipped globular vessels, having a groove like that of a teapot, have 

 been found in Cliff Palace as well as in other ruins of Mesa Vercle and 

 Montezuma canyon. The rims of these are generally perforated, as 

 if for the insertion of thongs to facilitate carrying. The bottoms of 

 these vessels are rarely concave. They are sometimes decorated on 

 the outside, but never on the interior. 



Vases. — Small vases with contracted neck and lip slightly curved, 

 and larger vases with the same characters, occur sparingly. These 

 (pis. 26, 27, h) are decorated on the exterior in geometrical designs; 

 the interior is plain. The bases are rounded, sometimes flat, and in 

 rare instances concave. 



Disks. — Among pottery objects should be mentioned certain disks, 

 some large, others small, some perforated in the middle, others im- 

 perforate. Several are decorated. These disks served as covers for 

 bowls, and similar disks were employed as counters in games or as 



" No curved lines are present in the many examples of decoration on the outside of food 

 bowls from Sikyatlii. 



