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. Gradually ceramic technology spread north and by the time it reached the Chesapeake Bay region, various crushed-up rocks and sand were being added to the clay as temper. As can be seen by the variety of ware types in the Early Woodland period, there was a lot of experimentation going on to learn what materials and methods worked best. By the end of the Early Woodland, ca. 200 B.C., most pottery was being made in distinctive conoidal and semi-conoidal shapes, tempered with sand or various crushed rocks, and malleated with cord or net wrapped paddles that left distinctive patterns on the vessels’ surfaces. Decorations became more prevalent in time and were made by incising, direct cord impressions and cord-wrapped stick impressions in a variety of designs. Punctations and additions of lugs and nodules were also used as decoration.

Archaeologists base distinctions between pottery types on the tempering agents, how the exterior and interior surfaces were manipulated during construction, shape and form of the vessel and styles of decoration. For purposes of the pottery definitions presented here we are using the ware – type format standardized by Robert Stephenson in his analysis of the Accokeek Creek collection (Stephenson et al. 1963). He divided out wares based on temper and then subdivided these into types that are based on surface treatments and decoration techniques. Stephenson’s work in turn, was based on Clifford Evans’ work (1955) to categorize the types of ceramics found in Virginia and neighboring areas. While many of the types we recognize today can be found within wares defined by Evans, his terms are generally no longer used in Maryland due to chronological problems that have been identified by researchers in the succeeding years.

To create this web page we reviewed the available literature and established a standardized format to present the pottery definitions. On each definition page there is an example image, a side view of a sherd to show the paste, and a map showing the distribution in Maryland of this pottery. By clicking on the ceramic image at the top of the page, a photo gallery of additional examples is made available. These pages are also accessible through the Site Map under the listing for Photo Gallery.

Archaeologists working in Maryland generally divide the Prehistoric time period into three divisions – the Paleoindian (10000 B.C. – 7500 B.C.), the Archaic (7500 B.C. – 1000 B.C.), and the Woodland (1000 B.C. – A.D. 1650).

Paleoindian (10000 B.C. – 7500 B.C.)
The Paleoindian period was a time of radical climatic change at the transition of the Pleistocene to the Holocene at the end of the last ice age. Spruce dominated boreal vegetation was replaced by the northward expansion of deciduous forest and animals migrated to new ranges or were driven to extinction. The people occupying Maryland at this time were basically a mobile society of small bands. Base camps were located near outcrops of high-quality lithic (stone) sources and smaller transient hunting camps near game attractive areas. Settlement was oriented towards the large rivers. At this time the Chesapeake Bay did not exist. This area would have been mostly dry land along the ancestral Susquehanna River that flowed into the Atlantic Ocean. Artifacts for this time period that are found by archaeologists are limited to stone tools and manufacturing waste (flakes and debitage). Diagnostic fluted projectile points were made of high quality jasper, chalcedony, and chert, but also of local quartz. Typical tools included scrapers for working hide and bone.

Archaic (7500 B.C. – 1000 B.C.)
Early Archaic (7500 B.C. – 6000 B.C.) sites also do not have a relatively high visibility in the archaeological record. Much of the information we have is derived from surface finds in headwater and riverine locations. During the Early Archaic there was a gradual increase in sedentism and in the use of locally available lithic resources.

The beginning of the Middle Archaic (6000 B.C. – 3500 B.C.) corresponds to a climatic episode marked by rising temperatures, decreasing precipitation and the development of a more seasonally variable climate. Oak-hemlock-hickory forests dominated the landscape, providing extensive mast crops of acorns and nuts, which provided food for humans and the increasing deer populations. Settlements began to shift, as a wider range of environments was available to be exploited, such as upland swamps, interior ridgetops, marshes and springheads. During this time period the embayment of the Susquehanna drainage began and gradually more riverine and estuarine environments developed. With the increased shallow estuarine areas the oyster began to be exploited towards the end of the Archaic.

During the Late Archaic (3500 B.C. – 1000 B.C.) shell middens began to form where prehistoric people discarded oyster shells. Populations became increasingly sedentary and groups along the major river drainages began to show signs of territoriality. Large base camps were established at the fall lines of major freshwater streams where fish-spawning runs were most productive and at saltwater estuaries for collecting oysters. Seasonal hunting and foraging camps were located in the interior regions.

Woodland (1000 B.C. - A.D. 1600)
The increased sedentism allowed for the use of heavy steatite (soapstone) bowls towards the end of the Late Archaic. The appearance of ceramic technology around 1000 B.C. is considered to be the marker for the beginning of the Woodland Period in Maryland. The earliest pottery was a flat-bottomed ware, tempered with crushed steatite. These vessels were oblong or semi- rectangular, with straight walls and lug handles that resembled the carved stone steatite bowls. Soon after and contemporaneous with these bowls, coil-constructed pottery was made. The Early Woodland (1000 B.C. – A.D. 200) was a period of ceramic technology experimentation with tempering agents and manufacturing methods.

During the Middle Woodland (A.D. 200 – A.D. 900) there was an increase in the range of subsistence economies along the Bay and the major coastal rivers. At the same time, there was a continued expansion of long-distance trade and communication. For example raw materials, such as rhyolite from west of the Monocacy drainage, were used in large quantities in the coastal plain. During this time period crushed rock-tempered ceramics like Watson were made in the Western regions of Maryland, showing growing connections with groups in central Pennsylvania and Western Virginia. On the Coastal Plain, the shell-tempered Mockley ware became dominant pottery.

The Late Woodland (A.D. 900 – A.D. 1650) represents the continuation of economic and social trends of the preceding period. During this time, the farming of corn was introduced, even though it didn’t become a major food source until the few centuries of the Late Woodland. There was an increase in permanent settlements and eventually fortified villages, while the interior uplands continued to be exploited by hunting and foraging groups. Ceramic technology improved during the Late Woodland. Vessels were more thinly potted and fired at hotter temperatures, thus creating more durable wares. Decorative motifs became more complex and extensively used, possibly indicating different cultural affiliations.

 

Below are four charts that offer a quick way to identify prehistoric ceramics. Select the region where the pottery was found and the follow the chart across from left to right. Start with the temper type, then go to surface treatment. Differences in decoration techniques and other defining characteristics will help narrow the ceramic ware choices. When a ware name is found, then click on its name on the left hand sidebar to go to the ware definition page.

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Geographical Regions in Maryland

County Map

Distribution of Accokeek Ceramics

Distribution of Coulbourn Ceramics

Distribution of Clemson Island Ceramics

Distribution of Dames Quarter Ceramics

Distribution of Keyser Ceramics

Distribution of Marcey Creek Ceramics

Distribution of Minguannan Ceramics

Distribution of Mockley Ceramics

Distribution of Monongahela Ceramics

Distribution of Moyaone Ceramics

Distribution of Page Ceramics

Type Site Location

Major Prehistoric Ceramic Sites in Maryland

Distribution of Popes Creek Ceramics

Distribution of Potomac Creek Ceramics

Distribution of Selden Island Ceramics

Distribution of Shenks Ferry Ceramics

Distribution of Shepard Ceramics

Distribution of Sullivan Cove Ceramics

Distribution of Townsend Ceramics

Distribution of Vinette Ceramics

Distribution of Watson Ceramics

Distribution of Wolfe Neck Ceramics

Distribution of Yeocomico Ceramics

 

Defining Attributes
Dames Quarter is an Early Woodland ware characterized by crushed black rock (hornblende) or gneiss temper, with roughly smoothed exterior surfaces. This pottery is similar to Marcey Creek in appearance and manufacture.

Chronology
Stratigraphic sequences and radiometric dating indicate that Dames Quarter dates from ca. 1000 B.C. – 750 B.C.

Distribution
Dames Quarter is found throughout the southern Delmarva Peninsula, and the Eastern Shore Coastal Plain of Maryland. A few instances of Dames Quarter have been reported from the Western Shore.

Description

Paste/Temper
The paste ranges from coarse to fine and smooth, depending on the size of the temper particles. The clay is fine-to-medium grained, compact, and cohesive. Dames Quarter is heavily tempered with coarse particles of black stone, such as hornblende or gneiss, which make up a high percentage of the paste. Color ranges from an oxidized buff to light orange.

Surface Treatment
Exterior surfaces are predominately smoothed, although cord-marked and fabric-impressed surfaces have been recorded. As with the exteriors, interior surfaces are commonly smoothed, but cord-marked and fabric-impressed sherds have been found.

Decoration
Wise (1975:23) noted that some sherds recovered from Deal’s Island, Delaware exhibited crudely incised designs. The use of lug handles as decorations has also been observed.

Morphology
Both hand-modeled and coil-constructed sherds have been found for Dames Quarter. Vessel shapes range from oval to cylindrical bodies with straight sides, and are medium in size. Bases are commonly flat, but conoidal ones have been recovered. Wise (1975:23) noted that some of the flat bases showed signs of coil-construction. The conoidal base sherds were very thick and appeared to have been hand molded. Rims are direct, while lips are either rounded or flattened. Vessel wall thickness ranges from 7 mm – 14 mm.

Defined in the Literature
Dames Quarter Black Stone Tempered ware was initially defined as a restricted localized development on the Delmarva Peninsula with similarities to Marcey Creek pottery (Wise 1975:23). Richard Artusy noted that large amounts of Dames Quarter had been recovered from Somerset County, Maryland, and supported the concept that ceramic experimentation was occurring between 1000 B.C. – 700 B.C. in the Mid-Atlantic region (Artusy 1976:2). Associated experimental wares include Selden Island and Ware Plain, with a mixture of manufacturing techniques, tempers and surface treatments used (Custer 1989).