STALLINGS PROJECT PHOTOMICROGRAPHS
This is a petrographic study of
late Archaic - Early Woodland fiber tempered (i.e., Spanish moss)
pottery recovered from the Crescent site (Stallings Island
culture) in Beaufort County, South Carolina. This investigation
is part of a larger study by Michael Trinkley and the Chicora Foundation.
Thirty-four (34) sherds were examined in order to see if there
were any textural or mineralogical characteristics that would
assist in the form and type separation of this pottery.
The point count categories used in this study were paste
(considered to be mainly clay minerals in origin and now, after
firing, amorphous glass), quartz (separated by grain size),
fiber, feldspar (noted as feldspar unless optical
characteristics, primarily twining style, allowed separation into
either plagioclase feldspar or potassium feldspar), opaques,
other (includes epidote/clinozoisite, biotite and amphibole) and
ACF (argillaceous clots or fragments of air-dried clay; see
Whitbread, 1986).
With this pottery, the evidence for the presence and
abundance of fiber temper is voids which contain some carbonized
remnants. Since the fiber voids are of two different
orientations, the influence of this orientation may account for
some of the percentage differences (and ranges) that were
observed.
Observations were also made concerning characteristics
resulting from the firing of the pottery as well as the changes
observed either as a result of use or of burial. These sherds
display oxidation features (commonly a red to red-orange colour)
on both the inner and outer sherd surfaces, extending into the
sherd for several millimeters. The region between these oxidized
zones (often called the core) is generally reduced and is either
black to smoky gray in colour. Observations and measurements of
the size of the oxidized zones and the degree of oxidation to
reduction were noted in this examination. Lastly, some of the
sherds show secondary carbonate infilling in the fiber void
spaces. This mineralization may have resulted due to burial and
interaction with ground water or as a result of usage.
All of the photomicrographs are taken using a
BH-2 Olympus transmitted (and reflected) polarized light
microscope. The thin-sections used are standard (30 micron thick)
and epoxy-impregnated. Field of view, magnification, and type of
observation (i.e., plane polarized vs. cross polarized) will be
indicated.
Schematic example of fiber orientation in the Stallings
sherds. Size of sherd displayed is 25 mm (long) by 5 mm (wide).
PHOTOMICROGRAPHS
JBM-27 (2.5X, plane polarized light)
Only a few sherds were dominated by fiber. This
photomicrograph shows a transition from the exterior (top) of the
sherd to the interior (centre and bottom). Total distance viewed
is 18mm. The fiber is found to exhibit specific orientation
within the sherds examined. In general, the fiber voids which are
oriented end-on (ovals in photomicrograph) are concentrated in
the core of the sherd while the elongate fiber voids are found in
the regions near both the interior and exterior surfaces. The
regularity of this orientation suggests that this is the result
of the manufacturing process. The surface of the sherds (those
that contain fiber) are devoid of fiber. This sherd was fibre
dominated with very fine to fine quartz grains and 1-3% (modal)
mica grains.
JBM-8 (10X, plane polarized light)
Only two sherds had good remnant cross-sections
(carbonized stem fragment) of the fiber present. These fragments
are very similar to those described by Simpkins and Allard (1968;
Fig. 2d, 3c, 4b) but can only be used to suggest that the fiber
is Spanish moss. This sherd has quartz grains from very coarse to
fine, < 2% (modal) feldspar and a few grains of mica (probably
muscovite; rare).
JBM-30 (2.5X, cross polarized light)
The exterior of the sherds are often without
fibre. This absence might be the result of floating or smoothing
practices that were applied by the potter to the ceramic to bring
up fine clays to cover the fiber (see also the orientation of the
paste materials in the upper portion of JBM-27). These
observations generally concur with the fiber analysis study by
Simpkins and Allard (1986) on 60 Stallings sherds from Florida,
Georgia and South Carolina. This sherd had quartz grains that
ranged from very coarse to very fine and a few (fine-grained)
feldspar grains. The fibre evidence was primarily voids as little
carbonized material was found in this sherd.
JBM-14 (20X, cross polarized light)
Lastly, several sherds were observed to have
infilling (or rimming) of the voids by calcite mineralization.
This is probably a result of post-depositional groundwater
interaction. This sherd was also fibre dominated with very fine
to fine grained quartz.
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Last revision 01 August 2002
JBM-27 (2.5X, plane polarized light)
JBM-8 (10X, plane polarized light)
JBM-30 (2.5X, cross polarized light)
JBM-14 (20X, cross polarized light)