Sent here from "Todays finds" forum. Pottery fragment , help with ID and labeling...

[MrMarsHill]

Sent here from "Todays finds" forum. Pottery fragment , help with ID and labeling...

I posted this as possible Cherokee Indian pottery. I was told this could predate the cherokee by thousands of years and I was best to post it here to be identified and dated etc. I have placed it in a Riker display case and have waited to label it until I get all the info. For you guys... this was found on Reems Creek in Weaverville NC. Very well known to have been inhabited by Cherokee per my limited research. I have made an appointment with a local museum, but I figure why not post here as well! I've had great luck with ID and the like here on T Net in the past. I was creek walking on Reems Creek IN Weaverville NC after we had a flooding type rain. This was found at a spot where the bank had washed out. Yes, I've searched the bank with no further fragments found. We are getting a light cleansing rain tonight and I plan to go again tomorrow. Hopefully something sticks out. This was blended in with the native soil so well, it literally looked like a crosshatch design drawn in the mud. No discerning it from the mud on the banks other than the design. Obviously to me that would mean it was made near there. I'd mostly like to know how to properly label this piece, so when I share it with others, I pass on the correct info. What is a respectable date range for this pottery fragmemt? Is there a more specific date for my area? What "Tribe" would you say, if that's even a legitimate question? I'm very new to this and just want to record this exactly as I should so its history lives on... and is CORRECT! Thanks so much for any info and I plan to post more here in the future. I have lots of private hunting ground in the area I cover regularly and I cant imagine I wont find something else to share. Thanks in advance for any help!

 

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[jamus peek]

Awesome find I hope you get the information you are looking for. I do believe you are at the right place.

 

[MrMarsHill]

Thanks! Something else I would like to add that I hope to find out... what is the proper way to care for this relic? The first 2 pics were just after finding, you can still see my water boots in the pic and I'm in the parking lot near the creek. At that point it was only rinsed in the creek. At home, I rinsed it completely in my sink until no more dirt ran, no brushing of any kind. I pat dried it with a towel and let it finish on it's own. I'm a civil war guy usually, so I just stuck it in a Riker c as se that was almost built for it size wise and figured it's good to go. Am I correct? Do I need to apply something to the piece before putting it away? A better storage method? Just want to properly preserve the piece. Thanks again in advance for any replies and help!

 

[MrMarsHill]

I'm hoping to properly label this relic in its Riker case .I wonder is approximately 2500bc to around 800ad a good date range for the fragment? What would you label this find as in your collections/catalogs? I appreciate any info!

 

[Older The Better]

I don’t know anything about pottery in your area but, the temper can be a clue, so can the crosshatching but best way to tell is to go back and look for other items like arrowheads that can narrow down your rough date. Best I can give you now is early woodland to historic period.

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Here's some link to check out. It's looks to be Grit Tempered which would make it Early to Middle Woodland in age most likely.

http://rla.unc.edu/lessons/Lesson/L404/L404.pdf

https://www.peachstatearchaeologica...ottery/311-north-carolina-cord-marked-pottery

 

[MrMarsHill]

Thanks for the jumping off point for my research guys! I really had no clue where to begin with this, lol. I have been back 5 times to the creek since and haven't found any more NA artifacts yet... but the water has been very high and the weather bad. I expect a few sunny days will clear the water and lower it enough to get back to my spots. Thanks for the "period range" opinions as well as the mention of the tempering. I knew there had to be more ways to narrow it down. I read somewhere that pottery with added ash, crushed rock, shells etc is later than pottery without such additions... but it was just a piece of info with no back up info to help me in my research of this fragment. I'll be looking into these periods and tempering methods for sure. Any more info I could give you guys that could help identify this further? I'll be sure to post any more finds directly to this forum. Hopefully I see some NA artifacts my next time out! Happy and safe hunting to you all! And thanks for the replies!

 

[Greeneman215]

I believe it is a Net-impressed pattern. Meaning the original vessel was wrapped in a net during the creation process. The shard is probably from a large water or storage vessel. That style of pottery came around during the Woodland Period probably around A.D. 1000-1450. Some stamped and net wrapped styles are hard to differentiate. So if there are any experts out there feel free to correct me.

 

[gilmerman]

Nice large shard definitely familiar to hunters in North Ga. and North Carolina. Very handsome.

 

[joshuaream]

Nice piece of pottery. A couple of people have mentioned Woodland, and that looks right to me.

Shards like that tend to be pretty durable. Occasionally if they get handled a lot some of the detail can crumble off or the broken edges can wear away, but otherside they usually don't need much stabilization.

Who made it? A lot of prehistoric things from your area are labeled Cherokee, the reality is that most of it predates what we think of as the Cherokee. You can dig around on sites like this and probably pin down an appropriate technical name for that type if you really want to research it. If nothing else it might give you an idea of the points were made around the same time as your shard.

UNC-RLA Archaeology of NC - Woodland - Appalachian Wood

A lot of collectors just identify pieces like that as Woodland because the technical names tend to be local.