STAMP DECORATED POTTERY, ILLINOIS 



189 



mere bits of wood with the ends dressed in various simple, fluttish- 

 oval shapes, and divided by transverse grooves; they were but a step 

 in advance of the ordinary punches and puncturing- tools used in nearly 

 all sections in decorative work. These stamps were not used to pro- 

 duce the mixed, all-over patterns characteristic of the South Appa- 

 lachian specimens, but were applied in a systematic way, the separate 

 impressions being preserved, arranged in neat order to embellish mar- 

 gins and fill in spaces. A number of the impressions are given in 

 figure 71. In plate clxviii two of the cruder examples of the Naples 

 vases which happened to he susceptible of partial restoration are 

 given. Particular attention may be called to the larger vessel, which, 

 although belonging to this locality and to this particular group of 

 vessels, is remarkably like the Georgia type, duplicating specimens 

 from the Savannah in appearance, material, outline, and some of the 

 details of decoration. 



a b c d < 



Fig. 71 — Stamps used in decorating vessels (restored). 



The pointed body has been textured with a cord-wrapped paddle or 

 modeling tool, and the impressions have been partially oblitei'ated in 

 preparing the surface for the decoration. A punch was used to 

 press out a row of beads encircling the rim; a stamp of the variety 

 shown in figure 71a was applied to the outer margin of the rim; 

 a roulette with irregular points was carried around the neck in a wide 

 zone and below was crudely executed a design consisting of six sections, 

 three of which are festoons of incised and indented lines, while the 

 o'ther three are carelessly traced coils produced in the same manner. 

 The smaller piece, «, is also a South Apj)alachian shape. 



Closelj' related in origin and effect to the stamped decorations 

 described above is the work of the roulette, which especially char- 

 acterizes this group of products. The implement, instead of being 

 straight on the edge, like the stamps, took the shape of a wheel, or 

 part of a wheel, with toothed edge. This was rolled back and forth 

 over the surface to be decorated in the manner indicated in figure 72, 



