Pottery from the Lawhorn site represents two distinct traditions. By far
the biggest is the standard shell tempered ware of this area, while a
minor type is a sand tempered ware present as a plain, cord marked and
textile marked series. The total sherd count was 10,423 of all types of
which 9461 or 91% were of the familiar Mississippian shell tempered
types and 962 or 9% were of the sand tempered series.
_Sand Tempered_
The sand tempered series are summarized in Table 1. Similar plain and
cord marked sherds (Fig. 5) have been called Barnes, (Williams, 1956, p.
204). The textile marked sherds can now be added to this series (Figs. 6
-7). The cord marked sherds ranged from very coarse to quite fine
markings, but definitely favored the coarse variety. The 534 textile
marked sherds yielded 293 (55%) that were clear enough to identify the
weave. These show the preponderate of simple twined textiles.
It is of interest that the simple twined textiles seem to have a
diagonal weft, or at least, in the finished piece as it was applied to
wet clay vessels, to show this diagonal weave characteristic. The
twisting and twining of the cords however seem to be typically simple
twined (Fig. 7).
Edward G. Scully and Stephen Williams first named the Barnes series
while working for the University of Michigan’s Central Mississippi
Valley survey on Barnes ridge in southeastern Missouri. Williams later
defined the type (Williams, 1956, Ph.D. Dissertation) as follows:
“This is a finely tempered plain ware in which the sand particles,
although numerous in some specimens are quite small. The texture is
such that in running one’s fingers over the surface the sandy nature
of the temper is immediately noticed. This description of the temper
and texture holds for all the Barnes wares. The shapes are similar to
those of the Baytown Plain (Philips, et. al., 1951: 77-78). Barnes
Cord Marked: This Cord Marked variety goes hand-in-hand in
distribution with the Plain ware, and like it, resembles its clay
tempered counterpart, Mulberry Creek Cord Marked, and there is
occasionally a folded or added rim strip.”
The sand tempered sherds at Lawhorn answer to this description, but the
question of vessel shape is left unanswered. One possible basal sherd
was cord marked and conical in shape. The characteristic of a folded rim
in the cord marked group was not identified in the Lawhorn series.
[Illustration: Figure 5. Cord Marked Sherds and Positive
Impressions]
[Illustration: Figure 6. Sand Tempered Textile Marked Sherds and
Clay Impressions Showing Simple Twining Weave with Diagonal Pattern
of Warp and Weft.
_(Top and third row are sherds, 2nd and 4th rows are positive
impressions)_]
[Illustration: Figure 7. Sand Tempered Textile Marked Sherds and
Impressions]
Speaking of sand tempered wares generally and fabric impressed
specifically, as an early Woodland movement into the south from the
north, Griffin and Sears indicate a relatively early period within the
total ceramic horizon of the southeast. In most areas the textile marked
tradition dies out by Middle Woodland times. Williams’ description would
seem to equate Barnes Cord Marked with Mulberry Creek Cord Marked, which
reached its peak during a Middle Woodland period although also present
at an earlier time.
All this is of some help in establishing a chronological position for
the sand tempered series within the known cultural sequences of this
region. It might be construed as adding strength to the belief that
there was a considerable time span between the sand tempered and shell
tempered wares of the Lawhorn site, and suggests an Early Woodland
period of occupation with the sand tempered pottery and the assorted
dart points as the only remaining evidence of the early period.
TABLE 1—SUMMARY OF THE SAND TEMPERED POTTERY
Percentage Of
Type Total Textile Fine Med. Coarse
Marked
Sand-Tempered
Cord-Marked 38 12 37 51
Plain 5.5
Textile Marked 56.5
Simple twined 93.6 5.8 26 68
Twilled twined 4.8 84 .7 7
Simple plaited 1.3 25 25 50
Twilled plaited .4 100