Description: This Parker Festooned ceramic rimsherd is made up of seven fragments that have been glued together. It has a straight neck, rim, and lip. There is a small, vertical applied flange just below the rim. Along the rim there are two parallel rows of teardrop-shaped impressions with a wide, incised horizontal line in between; there is a similar pattern on the neck at the shoulder. In between these two patterns are four parallel incised lines in a undulating pattern that overlaps the impressed patterns. On the body are vertical cordmarks that have been nearly smoothed. The grit-tempered vessel is black, reddish brown, and pinkish gray in color. This piece is from 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: A1175_000288_1
Subjects: Prehistoric peoples; Pottery, Prehistoric;
Places: South Park Village Collection