The ceramics of Washington Mounds (3HE35): An analysis of whole pots and decorated ceramic sherds from an early to middle Caddo Mound site In Southwestern Arkansas
Date
2018-08
Authors
Wilson, Katherine
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Abstract
Washington Mounds (3HE35) is an Early to Middle Caddo mound site located in Hempstead County, Arkansas near the historic town of Washington. First excavated in 1916 by Harrington, it is one of the sites featured in his classic 1920 book, Certain Caddo Sites in Southwestern Arkansas. The site was excavated again in 1981 by the Arkansas Archeological Survey and the Arkansas Archeological Society. Ceramic materials from the 1981 excavation and photographs of whole pots excavated by Harrington were analyzed in this project to provide more information about the site and the people who used it. An analysis of the forms, types, and decorative elements present in the ceramic assemblage, including sherds, whole pots, and a number of prehistoric pipe fragments provides an inventory of the ceramic objects from these two excavations. Information from Caddo lore and other studies of Caddo decorative elements and iconography were used to interpret the designs on some of the decorated vessels, increasing the cannon of literature on Caddo iconography. Comparisons to other sites from the region illuminate regional differences in the material culture, particularly through the variations seen in Haley Engraved, Military Road Incised, and Pease Brushed-Incised types. The data on of the material culture from this site contribute to what is known in this region as a whole for comparison to other relevant sites geographically and chronologically.
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Keywords
Caddo, ceramics, Arkansas, Washington mounds, archaeology
Citation
Wilson, K. (2018). The ceramics of Washington mounds (3HE35): An analysis of whole pots and decorated ceramic sherds from an early to middle Caddo Mound site In Southwestern Arkansas (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.