Vinette

Defining Attributes

Vinette is an Early to Middle Woodland ware, characterized by crushed rock temper, cord-marked exterior and interior surfaces, and a conoidal shape. It is named for the Vinette site in New York, and is tied to various cultures of the Northeast. The ware includes two types: Vinette I, and Vinette 2 dentate stamped variants. The latter have not been found in Maryland; however, some of the interior/exterior cord-marked ceramics recovered from Early to Middle Woodland contexts in Maryland appear to be Vinette variants (Wall 1992).

Chronology

Stratigraphic sequences and radiometric dating indicate that Vinette dates from ca. 1200 B.C. to 100 B.C., although some earlier and later dates have been reported. The date range seems to vary geographically; for example, in eastern Pennsylvania and the lower Delaware Valley, Vinette I seems to disappear after 600 B.C. (Custer 1996; Stewart 1998). In central New York, production of Vinette I peaks between 1000 B.C. and 500 B.C. (Sassaman 1999). In Maryland, a date range of 1000 B.C. to 100 B.C. has been suggested (Stewart 1982).

Distribution

Vinette ceramics are found along the east coast from New England to Maryland and west to central New York and the Ottawa valley of eastern Ontario. In Maryland, it has been found primarily in rockshelters and in surface collections on sites in the western part of the state (Gross 1972; Stewart 1981). Vinette I is rare east of the Hagerstown Valley, although it was reported at the Conowingo Site (18CE14) along the Susquehanna River in far northeastern Maryland (Custer et al. 1983).

Description

Paste/Temper
The temper consists of high percentages of crushed rock fragments. Quartz is the predominant temper material, but limestone, chert, rhyolite, gneiss, shale, and other locally-available stones have also been reported. The particle size varies, but is often greater than 3 mm in diameter. Shell temper inclusions have also been reported in some Vinette I, and may date to the later stages of the ware’s use (Stewart 1998). Sherds have an average Moh’s scale hardness of 2.0. Color ranges from buff through gray to black, and interiors are usually gray to black. The paste of Vinette I in the Hagerstown Valley has been described as loose and friable (Stewart 1982).

Surface Treatment
The exterior is completely covered by cord-marking that tends to be vertical to the lip, but oblique orientations also occur. Interior cord-marking is mostly horizontal, running parallel to the rim.

Decoration
None

Morphology
Vinette wares were coil-constructed with corded paddle malleation. Coil breaks are frequently observed on sherds. Vessels are conoidal in shape, with wide mouths, elongated bodies, straight or slightly curved sides, and conical bases. Vessel walls tend to be thick, although this varies. Rims are collarless, and are usually straight to outflaring and thinner toward the lip. Lips are rounded and often almost pointed in profile. In western Maryland, Early Woodland wares have been reported that are similar to Vinette I, but with flat bases, flaring sides, and no interior cord marking (Stewart 1982).

Defined in the Literature
Vinette ceramics are defined in the literature for New York and southern Ontario, where they have been found in stratified contexts (Ritchie and MacNeish 1949; Spence et al. 1990). Variants of Vinette have been recovered from areas south of New York along the Coastal Plain, as well as in the Appalachian highlands. Maryland appears to represent the southern extreme of the range for this type. Early descriptions of Vinette ceramics may be found in Ritchie (1944). Stewart (1998) notes that the wide variety in the wares produced in the Northeast between 1200 B.C. and 700 B.C. tends to blur the distinctions among archaeological types, including Vinette I.

Type Site
Vinette Site, NE of Finger Lakes, New York.

Maryland sites with Vinette components
Chickadee Rock Shelter (18WA13); Bushey’s Cavern (18WA18); Barton Complex (18AG3, 18AG8); Conowingo (18CE14); 18WA62

Radiocarbon Dates
None from Maryland.

References

Custer 1996; Custer et al. 1983; Gross 1972; Kraft 2001; Ritchie and MacNeish 1949; Ritchie 1944, 1965; Sassaman 1999; Stewart 1981, 1982, 1998; Spence et al. 1990; Wall 1992.