Chapter 3. Ceramics

Seventy pottery samples were analyzed in this study. They were drawn from 30 sites with Woodland occupations representing cultures spanning the period from 1500 BC–AD 1500. Sites were selected on the basis of their ability to characterize relevant geographic regions, the types of pottery included in their assemblages, and their capacity to represent the regional ceramic sequence. Also taken into consideration were factors concerning the contexts in which the specimens were found. As many of the analytical procedures are destructive, sherds were selected from contexts where provenience was mixed, including the surface, plow zone, excavation balk, and shovel test. The sample includes sites in three river basins (the Cape Fear, Yadkin-Pee Dee, and Lumber) chosen to represent the Piedmont, Sandhills, and Coastal Plain provinces (Figure 3.1). Appendix A provides a general description of each of the 70 pottery samples.