Pre Historic Ceramis: Native Americans in Maryland first made pottery around 1000 B.C. (3000 years ago). These first slab manufactured pots resembled the carved steatite (soapstone) bowls that were made before the introduction of ceramic technology. As new techniques were introduced, coil constructed conoidal shaped vessels became prevalent. The prehistoric pottery found in Maryland is an unglazed, low-fired earthenware. A material added increase the plasticity or workability of the clay and to add strength to the final product is called temper. The earliest ceramics made on the East Coast of the United states were fiber-tempered wares along the Gulf Coast ca. 2500 B.C .To Continue vistit the site by clicking on the image.
Colonial Ceramics: European colonists brought numerous pottery varieties with them when they settled in the Chesapeake Region. This section of the web page describes some of the more common diagnostic, or time-sensitive, types that were imported into colonial Maryland between its founding in 1634 and the American Revolution. The definitions provide you with a general description of each ceramic type and then offer reference sources that can be read for more in-depth information. In the future, we hope to add less common pottery types, as well as varieties that have not been as fully described in the archaeological literature.
To Continue vistit the site by clicking on the image.
Post Colonial Ceramics: This section of the website describes some common diagnostic, or datable, ceramics available in Maryland between the American Revolution and the late 19th century. The various web pages included here will provide you with a general description of common decoration types found on these ceramics, and then offer reference sources that can be read for more in-depth information. The approach employed on this website to describe post-colonial ceramics differs significantly from that taken with colonial ceramics. While colonial ceramics were defined primarily by ware types based on vitrification of the paste (porcelain, stoneware, earthenware), the glazes (lead, tin-based, salt) and vessel form, these attributes became more consistent in the late 18th and 19th centuries, when refined earthenwares took over the market. To Continue vistit the site by clicking on the imag.
Small Finds: Historical archaeologists often use the phrase “Small Finds” to discuss miscellaneous objects that are not found on excavations in large quantities, the way ceramics, glass, architectural debris, and faunal remains often are. Small finds can be problematic to use in archaeological analyses because they vary greatly and it is often difficult to find publications that provide information about them. This website is designed to help fill that void by providing details about the chronology, function, manufacture, etc., of small finds recovered in Maryland. Our hope is that this website will increase the value of these objects for site interpretation. To Continue vistit the site by clicking on the image.
Thank you for visiting our web site. If you have any questions, comments,
or new information to share, please contact us at psamford@mdp.state.md.us.
or new information to share, please contact us at psamford@mdp.state.md.us.
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