Description: This large Fairport Plain ceramic vessel has been restored from multiple fragments; missing pieces have been filled in with plaster. It has an applied rim and a flat lip. The neck curves inward slightly, whereas the shoulders and base are slightly rounded. The entire body is covered with vertical cordmarks; the neck and rim are also covered with a knotted cord impression. The grit-tempered vessel is dark gray, reddish yellow, and white. This particular piece is from the Whittlesey Culture. Between A.D. 600 and 1200, Late Woodland cultures lived in much of northeastern Ohio. They grew corn and squash at their summer villages and spent the winter and spring seasons in small hunting or fishing camps. About A.D. 1150-1200, several factors changed the lifestyle of these Late Woodland groups. Among these were new ideas that spread from Fort Ancient people in southern Ohio, the introduction of beans as a crop, and a shift in climate that made farming more productive. The result was a new culture, known to us as Whittlesey. The Whittlesey Culture is named for Charles Whittlesey, a 19th century scientist who studied archaeological sites in northeastern Ohio. The people of the Whittlesey culture hunted, fished, farmed, and collected wild plant foods like other Late Prehistoric groups in Ohio. Bows and arrows were their primary hunting weapons. Whittlesey villages were small and were located near the coast of Lake Erie as well as in the uplands. They were occupied mainly during the summer months; winter and spring were spent in small hunting and fishing camps. After A. D. 1400, Whittlesey villages were larger, often fortified, and located in the uplands of major river valleys. The larger villages, with some houses up to 60-feet-long, were generally occupied year around. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: A4786_000127
Subjects: Prehistoric peoples; Containers, Prehistoric; Pottery, Prehistoric;
Places: Undocumented Artifacts from the First Ohioans Exhibit