148 ABdRIUINAL POTTERV OK EAiSTKRN I'NITKD STATES [kth.ann.2U 



Tile northermnost iidx-anco of .striftl}' South Appalachian fpatures of 

 the art so far observed is in the vallej' of the Yadkin in North Carolina, 

 near tlie Virginia line; and the farthest advance of southwestern fea- 

 tures is in the upper valleys of the Shenandoah and James, on the his- 

 toric highway of the tribes between the North and South. 



Particular attention may be called to the contents of village sites on 

 the Yadkin in Wilkes county. North Carolina, just referred to. Here 

 we have rather rude ware, mostly large. tii'e-])lackened culinary uten- 

 sils, manifestly of comparatively recent date. Among the sherds are 

 a few pieces bearing stamped desi'gns of southern type. We also have 

 examples of the large, conic, net-marked vessels so prevalent in the 

 Potomac-Chesapeake country. A wide zone of sites extending across 

 the middle section of the state on the line of the Yadkin, and probably 

 down to the sea in South Carolina. exhi1)its a remarkable intermingling 

 of northern and southern elements. 



In form the Wilkes county midden ware is limited almost exclu- 

 sively to the wide mouthed caldron, with rather long body and some- 

 what conic base. The vessels are rudely treated, unsymmetric in 

 shape, and thick- walled. The paste is tempered with a large percentage 

 of gritty sand or coarsely pulverized steatite, the fragments of the latter 

 standing out in high relief on weathered surfaces. The steatite in 

 many cases forms one-half or two-thirds of the mass. In plate cxxx 

 a series of outlines is given, restored from the mauj' large fragments, 

 which will convey a fair idea of the character of the vessels. 



This ware exhibits great diversity of surface treatment. Aside 

 from the few stamped j)ieces (which may be the work of a separate 

 jx'ople. although akin to the prevailing type in everything save the 

 surface finish), tlie vessels ai'e nearly all marked with netting of about 

 the weight of our finest ti.sh netting (plate cxxx /<). A superficial 

 examination gi\'es the impression that the vessels have been modeled 

 or handled when plastic in a net. or that a net has been applied to the 

 entire surfaci^ l)y wi'apping, but a study of the markings shows that 

 generally the textui'e has been applied with the aid of a net-covered 

 paddle with which the plastic surface was beaten. In plate cxxxia is 

 photographically reproduced a fragment in which five facet-like sur- 

 faces, the result of that inimber of applications of the net-covered 

 implement, are imperfectly shown. Certain heavier knottings are 

 repeated in each impression, demonstrating the fact that the fabric 

 was fi.xed to the tool and not ajjplied to the vessel as a mold or wrap- 

 ping. Had the latter been the case, the mesh impression would have 

 been somewhat completely connected and continuous. In luuuerous 

 cases parts of the surfaces ha\'e been scarified with a serrate-edged tool 

 or comb. ol)literating the net marks, as if in preparation for polishing 

 and decorating. In a few cases very rude incised figures have been 

 addccl, as is simmi in the examples gi\en in plates cxxxi^' and cxxxiii'^ 



