iioi.Mi:s) .STA.Ml'-DKCDKATKU I'tJl'TKltV 1^1 



Ainon<>- the moro notvwortliy l'i';iliin"s of tlic iuu'icnt corimiic art ol' 

 tliis province arc tlic novel shapes of some of tlie vess(>ls. (lie peeiiliar 

 style of dieii' decoralion. (he inteniiinLj'rui.L;' of local ami what !ipi)ear (o 

 he exotii' forms, anil, lastly, ihe very common use of vessels as recep 

 tacles for remains of ihc deail. A rare and exceptional feature of 

 decoriitiuii. descrihiMl hy Colonel ('. ('. .hnies and otiKM's, is the nse 

 of hits of .shell and hi'li^ht stones in inlayiny. These hits wei'e set in 

 tlecofiitive arfaniieiiienls into tiie clay while it was yet plastic an art 

 practiced to a limited extent a( the jjicscnt day hy priinili\ e |ieoples 

 on hoth continents, hnt never I'isiny to a i)lace of importance. 



The principal liclile product of Ihe proxincc was the lare'e ealdion 

 or cook \)ot. although howls were used and fancifully shaped ncsscIs 

 are sometini(\s encountered. Small liyurines and tohacco |)i[)es were 

 made in consideralile numlieis, and potshei'ds were often <'ut into 

 discoid sha])es. jjcrhaps foi- playinj;' ji'aiucs of skill or chance. 



The I'cmains of what are supposed liy some ohservers and writers 

 to he [)i'iniiti\(' pottery kilns have hecii re])orted. h\it the (>videnee 

 is not conclusive in any case. i 



The most stiMkinu;' \ari(>tv of eai'thenware found within the limits of 

 the Atlantic draiiuij;'e is distrihuted \-erv .n'cnerally o\i'r (ieorj^ia and 

 contiji'uous portions of all the adjoinino' stutes. l''or convenience of 

 designation it has heen called (he South .V])))ala<hian stamped ware. 

 Many of the more t3'pical spe<'imens in our collections came fi'om the 

 valley of (he Savannah. 'I'he most stroni^ly marked eharactei'istics of 

 this ware are its material, which is j^'eneriilly hard, hea\v.and coars(dy 

 silicious; its shapes, the most nolal)le of which is a deep caldron with 

 coiuc hase and llarinj;' rim; and its decoration, which consists in 

 ^reat ])art of stamjK'd lii'ures of no little technic and artistic interest. 



'I'liis stamped pottery is obtained from mounds, j^raves of several 

 cliis.ses, villaji'c sites, and shcdl heaps. In some localities it is asso- 

 ciated with remains of distinct varieties of ware, hut in others it 

 seems to occur alone. This interminu'liny' of <lill'erent varieties is not 

 conlineil |o \ dlaji'e sites and shell heaps where accident could have 

 hrouyhl the dill'erent sorts to<>i'ther. hut is eonuuon in mounds whose 

 c()nt(>nts appear to lia\'e l)eloni>'(>d to a sinyh' couununily. Whether 

 the dill'erent kinds of jiottery orii;inated with a single people, or 

 whether the as.sociation is the residt of tlu' amalgamation of distinct 

 jjroups of ])e()ple, can not he determined. The area o\ei- which the 

 sherds are scattered is so wide that we can hardly connect the manu- 

 facture of even the more tvi)ical forms v\ ith any siiiirle trihe or i^roup 

 of trih(\s. It is disti'ihuted over areas occupied in historic tim<'s hy 

 numerous stocks of people, inidndiiii;' the .VlyoiKiuian. Iro(pioian, 

 Sioiian, i\lusklio<>-ean, and Timucpiauau. Of these yronps the IMusk- 

 hofjeiin pi'ohal)ly has the ))est claim to the authorship of this ware. 'I'lie 

 mo(lerri ( 'atawhas (Siouan) and ( 'herokees ( I ro(|noian). espi'cialh the 



