HOLMES] POTTERY APPLIED TO VARIOUS USES 83 



occurrence of other articles in corumon use witii many l)arbaric 

 nations. Clay pipes, so neatly shaped even in neighboring districts, 

 are of very rude character o\ei- a large part of this district, as is 

 shown in plate xxxiii, at the end of this section. The reason for this 

 is not plain, since the potters of the middle and lower ]\lississippi 

 region were in advance of all others in the eastern half of the United 

 States in the manipulation of clay, as a comparative study of form, 

 color, and decoration will amply show. In variety and I'ctincniont of 

 form this ware excels perhaps even that of the ancient Pueblos. l)ut in 

 almost every other respect the fictile art of the latter was superior. 

 There is nothing to indicate that the culture of the earlier occupants 

 of the valley differed materially from that existing among the historic 

 tribes of the same area. 



Uses 



It is difficult to determine with precision the functions of the various 

 forms of vessels in this group, or, for that matter, in anj- group where 

 differentiation is well advanced. Certain varieties of rather plain and 

 often rude vessels show traces of use over fire; these wei'e doubtless 

 for boiling and cooking, and for the manufacture of salt. They are 

 usually recovered from midden sites and are in a fragmentary con- 

 dition. Particular forms were probably intended for preparing and 

 serving food, for storing, carrying, and containing water, oil, honej', 

 salt, paint, fruit seeds, and all articles pertaining to domestic or cere- 

 monial use. Nearly all the better finished and delicate vases arc with- 

 out marks of rough usage, and there can be little doubt that many of 

 them were devoted to sacerdotal and mortuary uses, and that they 

 were made expressly for these purposes. Vases of refined and unusual 

 shape, carefully finished and ornamented, especially those decorated 

 in color, were certainly not generally intended for ordinary domestic 

 use. 



Rarely an unusual shape is found suggesting manufacture for burial 

 purposes, and the larger cidinary vessels were at times devoted to the 

 burial of children, and probably, also, to the burial of the bones of 

 adults. The presence m the graves of unbaked vases, or what are 

 believed to be such, and of figurines, miniature image vessels, and 

 death's-head vases is suggestive of special making for moi'tuary use. 

 Probably no other people north of the valley of Mexico has extended 

 its ceramic field as widely as the southern mound-builders. The 

 manufacture of images, toys, rattles, gaming disks, spool- shaped ear 

 ornaments, labrets, beads, pipes, trowels, modeling tools, etc., indi- 

 cate the widening range of the art. 



Materials and Manufacture 



Materials and luaiuifacturc have been discussed in the inti'oduction 

 in such detail that litth^ further need be said here. A few features 



