Sherd Identification Chart

Below are four charts that offer a quick way to identify pre-Contact ceramics. Select the region where the pottery was found and the follow the chart across from left to right. Start with the temper type, then go to surface treatment. Differences in decoration techniques and other defining characteristics will help narrow the ceramic ware choices. When a ware name is found, you can click on its name to go to the ware definition page.

Western Shore Coastal Plain; Eastern Shore Coastal Plain; Piedmont; Western Maryland

WESTERN SHORE COASTAL PLAIN
TEMPER	SURFACE TREATMENT	DECORATION	OTHER DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS	CERAMIC WARE
Steatite	Plain		Flat bottoms; lug handles	Marcey Creek
	Cord-marked			Selden Island
Sand	Plain	Plain, incised or cord-impressed		Moyaone
	Cord-marked	Usually undecorated	Deep cord marks, usually oblique to rim	Accokeek
		Complex decorations		Minguannan
		Plain, Iincised or cord-impressed		Moyaone
	Net-impressed		Often with interior scoring	Popes Creek
	Fabric-impressed	Complex decorations		Minguannan
Quartz	Cord-marked	Usually undecorated	Deep cord marks, usually oblique to rim	Accokeek
		Cord-wrapped stick impressions		Potomac Creek
		Complex decorations		Minguannan
	Smoothed	Cord-wrapped stick impressions		Potomac Creek
	Fabric-impressed	Complex decorations		Minguannan
Crushed rock	Cord-marked	Complex decorations		Minguannan
	Fabric-impressed	Complex decorations
Shell	Plain			Yeocomico
	Cord-marked			Mockley
				Sullivan Cove
	Net-impressed			Mockley
	Fabric-impressed			Townsend

EASTERN SHORE COASTAL PLAIN
TEMPER	SURFACE TREATMENT	DECORATION	OTHER DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS	CERAMIC WARE
Steatite	Plain			Marcey Creek
Sand	Cord-marked	Usually undecorated	Deep cord marks, usually oblique to rim	Accokeek
		Complex decorations		Minguannan
	Fabric-impressed
Hornblende	Plain			Dames Quarter
Gneiss	Plain
Quartz	Cord-marked	Usually undecorated	Deep cord marks, usually oblique to rim; sherds range 6mm-8mm thick	Accokeek
		Undecorated	Sherds average 10 mm in thickness	Wolfe Neck
		Complex decorations		Minguannan
	Net-impressed	Undecorated		Wolfe Neck
	Fabric-impressed	Complex decorations		Minguannan
Crushed rock	Cord-marked			Minguannan
	Fabric-impressed
Grog	Cord-marked			Coulbourn
	Net-impressed
Shell	Cord-marked			Mockley
	Net-impressed
	Fabric-impressed			Townsend

PIEDMONT
TEMPER	SURFACE TREATMENT	DECORATION	OTHER DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS	CERAMIC WARE
Steatite	Plain			Marcey Creek
	Cord-marked			Selden Island
Sand	Cord-marked			Accokeek
Net-impressed				Popes Creek (rare)
Quartz	Cord-marked			Accokeek
		Cord-wrapped stick or cord-impressed		Shephard
		Incised		Shenks Ferry
Gneiss	Cord-marked	Cord-wrapped stick or cord-impressed		Shephard
		Incised		Shenks Ferry
Limestone	Cord-marked			Page
Shell	Cord-marked			Mockley (rare)
		Cord-wrapped stick or paddle impressions		Keyser
	Net-impressed			Mockley (rare)
	Smoothed	Cord-wrapped stick or paddle impressions		Keyser
	Fabric-impressed			Townsend (rare)

WESTERN MARYLAND
TEMPER	SURFACE TREATMENT	DECORATION	OTHER DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS	CERAMIC WARE
Steatite	Plain		Flat bottoms, lug handles	Marcey Creek (rare)
Sand	Cord-marked	Usually undecorated	Deep cord marks, usually oblique to rim	Accokeek
Quartz	Cord-marked	Usually undecorated	Deep cord marks, usually oblique to rim	Accokeek
	Cord-marked			Shephard
Gneiss	Cord-marked			Shephard
Limestone	Cord-marked	Undecorated		Watson
				Page
				Monongahela
Crushed rock	Cord-marked		Interior cord-marking	Vinette
	Cord-marked			Page
	Cord-marked			Monongahela
	Cord-marked	Cord-wrapped stick impressions	Row of punctations or raised nodes below rim	Clemson Island
	Fabric-impressed			Clemson Island
Shell	Cord-marked			Keyser
	Smoothed			Keyser