Examining Small-scale Variations within Late Mississippian Complicated Stamped Pottery from St. Catherines Island, GA

Summary

Late Mississippian (AD 1300-1580) ceramic typologies on the Georgia coast broadly group pottery based on 1) temper (coarse grit) and 2) surface decoration (incising, stamping, and rim decoration). Recently, Late Archaic and Mission period pottery studies focused on small-scale ceramic variations, which reflect micro-styles, were successful in identifying patterns related to past pottery communities of practice. Using a similar approach, I present data on three Late Mississippian village ceramic assemblages recovered from St. Catherines Island, GA. In this presentation, I focus on Irene Complicated Stamped wares as a case study and characterize the small-scale variations in temper, paste, and design motif from each site. In addition, I compare patterns between sites and explore various pottery communities of practice. More broadly, these data contribute to our understanding of Late Mississippian pottery practices and social interactions along the Georgia coast, on the cusp of European contact.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 17467