Woodland Era Clay Pots
The Woodland Period (approximately 3,000-500 years before present) marks the time during which pottery production and usage became widespread. Clay pots not only were used as cooking vessels but also functioned as storage containers. During this time period, noticeable changes in pottery making techniques and design occurred, enabling archaeologists to pinpoint with relative accuracy the timeframe during which they materials were created. Pottery style and production varied regionally, evidenced through decoration and an increasing complexity of form.
Pottery Shards
New England’s historic Indigenous pottery is quite fragile and as such, most times is found in shards. Many have carbonized residue which allow scientists to ascertain what foods may have been cooked in these respective pots.
The two pottery shards below have carbonized food remains.
Extracting Phytoliths from Pot Shards
When carbonized remains are not available, scientists extract phytoliths by scraping the pottery’s residue, which is then processed and analyzed in a lab. Phytoliths from different plants have different shapes, making it possible to pick them out and establish an understanding of what taxa were available and being used at the time. For example, this procedure and information allowed archaeologists to recognize maize was being used at the Butternut Knoll site despite no carbonized remains.
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