Preview
Description
This jar is an example of a type of ceramic known simply as Mississippi Plain Ware. Evidence for Mississippi Plain Ware first appears in the Early Mississippian period and it is found throughout the Mississippi Valley. This type of ceramic is characterized by a coarse shell-temper paste and tends to be grey / buff / reddish in color. Both the exterior and interior of the vessel’s body and neck often has a smoothed - but not polished - surface. The lack of polishing often leaves the vessel with a roughened appearance. Jars such as this one, with its globular body, slightly rounded bottom and short, slightly flaring neck with a flat lip is one of the most common vessel shapes among Mississippi Plain vessels and, indeed, among Mississippian pottery in general. In fact, this shape is so ubiquitous it is often referred to as a “standard Mississippian jar”. The notched decoration along the lip is also relatively common, if no less beautiful for that!
Date
1000- 1200
Recommended Citation
Museum, Chucalissa, "Plain Ware Jar" (2022). Artifacts. 81.
https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/chnash-museum-chucalissa-gallery2/81
Keywords
Ceramics; Pottery; Plain Ware; Jar; Mississippian
