Clemson Island

Defining Attributes

Clemson Island Ware is an early Late Woodland ware characterized by crushed rock temper with cord-marked or fabric-impressed surface treatments. One of the most distinctive features of Clemson Island pottery (but not necessarily found on all types) is a row of punctations and/or raised nodes/bosses below the lip or on the upper rim. Defined types include Clemson Island Cord-on-Cord, Clemson Island Corded-Horizontal, and Clemson Island Platted Horizontal.

Chronology

Stratigraphic sequences and radiometric dating indicate that Clemson Island dates from ca. A.D. 800 – A.D. 1400.

Distribution

Clemson Island is found throughout the Great Valley, Ridge, and Valley regions of Maryland.

Description

Paste/Temper.
The paste has a hard and rough texture. The temper consists of crushed chert, quartz,chert/quartz, and gneiss that varies from 2 mm – 3 mm thick. Clemson Island pottery has an average Moh’s scale hardness of 2.5. Black blotching towards the rim and neck area indicates firing was done in a wood-burning oxidizing atmosphere (Garrahan 1990:27). Color ranges from light tan to gray.

Surface Treatment
Exterior surfaces are fabric-impressed or cord-marked. On cord-marked vessels, cordage twist is predominantly Z-twist, but S-twist is also found. Interior surfaces are smoothed, but often show fine cord-marking.

Decoration
One or more rows of circular punctates below and encircling the rim are typical. Punctates were applied with a round blunted dowel which varied in thickness. Later ceramics tend to have smaller punctates and finer design and surface treatment applications. As a result, bosses usually show on the opposite surface of the rim. Punctations can be interior or exterior, and vary in both size and spacing. Corded horizontal, vertical, herringbone, or concentric "V" motifs are also found.

Morphology
Clemson Island vessels exhibit both coil and slab construction with paddle malleation. The latter often show laminated cross-sections where slabs have been molded together. Lip interiors are often paddle marked, and rim profiles range from slightly inverted to everted. Vessels are usually conoidal in shape, with wide mouths; vessels may have conoidal to rounded bases, elongated bodies, and necks that range from a moderate to a pronounced constriction. Vessel size ranges from medium to large, with mouth openings between 16 cm and 31 cm. Vessel wall thickness ranges from 4 mm below the rim to 15 mm at the base. Earlier styles tend to be thicker and more friable.

Defined in the Literature
The first published description of Clemson Island was by McCann in 1971, but it was not formally named until later. Clemson Island ceramic styles are almost identical to some early to middle Owasco types in northern Pennsylvania and New York state. In fact, Clemson Island pottery styles cannot be adequately addressed without comparisons to contemporaneous Owasco types. Clemson Island ceramics are also contemporaneous with Page ceramics in the Potomac Valley, and have been found in very small amounts at the Cresaptown (18AG119) and Barton (18AG3) sites in association with Page ceramics. Sorting out the various subtypes and their overall differences from Owasco ceramics in the upper reaches of the Susquehanna is still in progress, but it seems clear, according to Stewart (1990) and others, that several distinct types of Clemson Island pottery appear to have been manufactured and used contemporaneously.

Owasco ceramic trends show cord-marking on the early Owasco wares, platting on middle Owasco, and beaded and incised impressions on late Owasco pottery, with the addition of collars ca. A.D. 1200 – 1300 (Prezzano 1992). Ideas about the evolution and regional distribution of specific surface treatments on Clemson Island pottery (e.g., overstamping), decorative motif styles, and paste characteristics are still being developed from the complex variety of types and co-occurrences at numerous Susquehanna Valley sites. For example, at the Fisher Farm site (Hatch 1980), stratified deposits facilitated the development of a Clemson Island ceramic sequence applicable to central Pennsylvania. At Fisher Farm there is a co-occurrence of Clemson Island with Levanna and Carpenter Brook ceramics. Specific types there include Clemson Island Cord-on-Cord, Levanna Cord-on-Cord, Clemson Island Platted, and Clemson Island Platted Oblique. It seems clear that the similarities and differences between Clemson Island and Owasco ceramics reflect regular and frequent exchanges between the cultures of the Northeast from Quebec to the Potomac Valley.

Type Site
Clemson Island

Maryland Sites with Clemson Island components
Barton (18AG3), Cresaptown (18AG119), Paw Paw (18AG144)

References

Garrahan 1990; Hatch 1980; Kavanagh 1984; McCann 1971; Prezzano 1992; Stewart 1982; Wall 1992.