Wolfe Neck

Defining Attributes

Wolfe Neck is an Early Woodland ware, characterized by a crushed quartz temper, and cord-marked or net-impressed exteriors. Defined types include Wolfe Neck Net-Impressed and Wolfe Neck Cord-Marked.

Stratigraphic sequences and radiometric dating indicate that Wolfe Neck dates from ca. 700 B.C. – 400 B.C.

Wolfe Neck is found throughout Delaware, concentrating on the lower two-thirds of the Coastal Plain from Southern New Castle County to the south. It has also been found throughout the Eastern Shore Coastal Plain of Maryland. Wolfe Neck is similar to many of the crushed rock tempered wares that emerged in the Middle Atlantic region following the earlier experimental ware period.

Description

Paste/Temper
The temper consists of roughly crushed quartz that varies from 3 mm – 7 mm in diameter. Frequently the temper is half the size of the vessel wall.

Surface Treatment
Exterior surfaces are cord-marked or net-impressed. On sherds recovered from the Wolfe Neck site (7S-D-10), four different orientations for cord-marking, parallel to the rim, perpendicular, oblique, or various combinations were noted (Griffith and Artusy 1977:13). The most commonly encountered orientation is perpendicular to the rim. On net-impressed sherds, the impressions were oriented perpendicular or oblique to the rim. Interior surfaces are scraped-over cord- or net-impression, scraped, smoothed-over scraped, and smoothed. The most commonly encountered treatment is smoothed.

Decoration
None

Morphology
Wolfe Neck wares are coil-constructed with paddle malleation. Vessels are conoidal in shape, with direct rims and rounded, flattened, and smoothed lips. Vessel wall thickness ranges from 6 mm – 14 mm, with a mean of 10 mm.

Defined in the Literature
Marine et al. (1965) found that 70% of the ceramics recovered at the Wolfe Neck Site (7S-D-10) were "crude thick-walled caldrons tempered with coarse quartzite granules and the predominant decorations were net or cord impression." It was noted that, with the exception of temper material, this pottery type closely resembled Popes Creek ware found on the Western Shore. Custer (1989) also noted Wolfe Neck’s general similarity to Accokeek and other Mid-Atlantic ceramics, such as Vinette. Wise (1975: 2) later named this ware Wolfe Neck, and noted that after 700 B.C. the period of experimentation (e.g. Dames Quarter, Selden Island) in Delaware ended and Wolfe Neck emerged as the dominant ware. Artusy (1976), and Griffith and Artusy (1977) refined the definition of Wolfe Neck, dividing it into Wolfe Neck Cord-Marked and Wolfe Neck Net-Impressed.

Type Site
Wolfe Neck (7S-D-10)

Maryland Sites with Wolfe Neck components
Highley (18TA23), Nassawango Creek (18WO23)*

* collections at the MAC Lab

Artusy 1976; Custer 1989; Griffith 1991; Griffith & Artusy 1977; Marine et al. 1965; Wise 1975