Description: This single grit-tempered rimsherd has a slightly flaring rim with a straight lip. On the rim below the lip is an applied strip of clay that has been notched, and on the neck are three incised parallel lines. Below those three lines, running parallel, is one row of triangular punctates or indentations. Below the punctates diagonal cordmarking is barely visible. The sherd is black, very dark grayish brown, and very pale brown in color. This piece comes 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: A0174_000102_1
Subjects: Prehistoric peoples; Pottery, Prehistoric;
Places: Graham Brothers Collection