Ceramics
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Prehistoric Ceramics
The earliest ceramics produced in the U.S were made in the Southeast around 2500 B.C. In Maryland, Indians started making unglazed, low-fired pottery a little over 3000 years ago. Initially, they experimented with different manufacturing techniques. Their first pots were made from hand-molded slabs of clay, and resembled the flat-based steatite (soapstone) bowls that were already in use at that time. In fact, these early ceramic vessels were often tempered with crushed fragments of steatite. (Temper is material – such as stone, shell, or broken pottery -- added to the clay to improve its workability and firing properties). See the following periods: Early Woodland; Middle Woodland, and Late Woodland.
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Colonial Ceramics
European colonists imported a great variety of pottery, from around the world, after settlement of the Chesapeake region began. This webpage describes some of the most common types used between the first settlement of Maryland in 1634 and the start of the American Revolution. The pottery that is found on 17th and 18th century archaeological sites in Maryland came from all over the world. Based on their firing temperatures and the clays used in their manufacture, ceramics are divided into three basic categories – Earthenwares and Stonewares and Porcelains. Differing methods of decorating and glazing further define specific ware types. |
Click on each ceramic category above to see more information.
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