Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
Previous ceramic studies have focused on the macroscopic observations of a potsherd, quantifying those characteristics visible with the naked eye. However, only recently have archaeologists begun to apply petrographic methods to determine the mineral composition of prehistoric ceramics. This study is the first that combines the micro- and macro-analyses of ceramics from the James River basin. Petrography can be used to quantify the proportions of different minerals included as temper or sand in ceramic potsherds and can lead to conclusions about their provenance and transport. A ceramic's provenance is the location where it was produced, and its transport commonly results from trade. The change in lithology from the Piedmont to the Coastal Plain provinces of Virginia provides an excellent template for discovering patterns in mineral content among the ceramics of two different Native American groups who resided in the James River basin, the Piedmont Monacans and the Coastal Plain Powhatans. These societies typically utilized their immediate surroundings to find substances to include as temper. Thus, one would expect ceramics produced in the Piedmont to contain more igneous and metamorphic minerals (e.g., epidote, hornblende) than those produced in the Coastal Plain. Assuming local production of pottery, departures from expected petrographic signatures may provide evidence of exchange relations between the Monacans and the Powhatans. This study allowed me to assess the mineral content of ceramics found in the Coastal Plain and Piedmont provinces of Virginia. The results indicate significant differences both between provinces and among sites when comparing grain size (e.g., sand, temper content) and mineralogy of the sherds. The most significant differences are found in the proportions of sand, temper, and epidote content. These differences were found both between provinces and among sites. The data regarding the hornblende content were interesting and contrary to expectations, though not significant. In addition, my original hypothesis stating that significantly greater amounts of feldspar would be found in the Piedmont province was not supported. The data from both the micro- and macro-analyses allowed me to make a few interpretations including: 1) the support of my assumption of local pottery production methods, 2) the possibility of exchange relations between societies, and 3) the variation observed at Tree Hill Farm may be due to culturally induced rather than determined by the surrounding geology.
Date Awarded
2004
Department
Geology
Advisor 1
Brent E. Owens
Recommended Citation
Blome, Margaret Whiting, "A Petrographic Analysis of Native American Ceramics in the James River Basin" (2004). Geology Senior Theses. William & Mary. Paper 126.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/geologyseniors/126
