Trends and Techniques of Catawba Colonoware, ca. 1760-1800.

Summary

While surficial similarities exist among colonoware assemblages produced by different communities of potters, owing to shared colonial templates, this ceramic tradition, like any other, reflects the specific economic and social contexts in which it is produced, circulated, and used. By the 19th century Catawba potters were well-known producers and itinerant traders of low-fired earthenware across South Carolina, but the origin and character of early Catawba colonoware production has not been well understood. Archaeological investigations at a series of mid to late 18th century Catawba settlements have revealed the rapid adoption of European inspired forms and decorations as well as the process of experimentation that shaped the Catawba ceramic repertoire in the decades that followed. This paper presents an analysis of the earliest documented Catawba colonoware, dating from ca. 1760 to 1800, and highlights the changes and modifications that took place within this relatively short time horizon. Finally, I discuss the implications of this case study for contextualizing colonoware more broadly.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Beyond the Ethnicity Debate: Examining the Many Contexts of Colonoware

Keywords

Spatial Coverage