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Here are many other forms of decoration that are used in Florida that may only have one or two type names applied to their use. Click on the surface decoration type that most closely resembles your find to discover its type name, characteristics and location of distribution.
Temper: Grit
Distribution: This pottery type was brought to Florida by Creek people who became the Seminoles of Florida. It would have first appeared in their settlements across north central Florida and then was taken south at least as far as the central Gulf Coast and Tampa Bay where it has been called Weeki Watchee Brushed by some.
Age: Historic period between 1716 and 1763 as the Creek Indians along the Oconee River moved south to the Alachua prairie and Tallahassee areas.
Vessel Forms: Deep pots with in-curving or out-flaring orifices.
Decoration: Brush lines made with grass, pine straw, or other semi-stiff bristle. Strokes are either side horizontal or vertical and cover the majority of the vessel.
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The vessel on the left was part of the orrigional report of Weeki Wachee Brushed pottery in the Florida Anthropologist. The vessel on the right is part of the collection of Bruce Butts and is from Dixie County, Florida. Weeki Wachee springs is located in Hernando County.
Temper: Grit
Distribution: Central Gulf Coast in the area of Hernando to Dixie counties
Age: The type dates to the occupation of the Seminole Indians in the area and dates to the Historic period, 18th to 19th century.
Vessel Forms: Large pots with a rounded to semi-conical bottom and outflaring lips. Rims may have an added strip of clay with crimping or be plain and lips are rounded.
Decoration: Brushing is done across the surface in either a horizontal or vertical pattern.
Temper: Medium grained quartz sand
Distribution: Alachua prairie around Gainesville, Florida
Age: Late Mississippian into Historic period. May occur as early as Weeden Island and extend as far as Leon-Jefferson. Willey suggests contemporary with Leon-Jefferson types.
Vessel Forms: Simple bowls with unmodified rims.
Decoration: Poorly smoothed surface with cob marking placed in rows or parallel marks up to 1.5 cm. apart or may be overlapping, or may be haphazardly placed. Markings cover the entire surface of the vessel.
Temper: Medium grained quartz sand
Distribution: Spanish mission sites within the Suwannee Valley region
Age: historic period, Spanish mission period
Vessel Forms: Simple bowls with flaring rims. This is the primary distinction from Alachua Cob.
Decoration: Poorly smoothed surface with cob marking placed in rows or parallel marks up to 1.5 cm. apart or may be overlapping, or may be haphazardly placed. Markings cover the entire surface of the vessel.
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Distribution: Spanish missions within the Suwanee Valley region
Age: historic period, Spanish mission period
Vessel Forms: unknown
Decoration: Prairie Fabric Impressed has impressions of woven fabric over the entire vessel surface and conforms to the type Prairie fabric impressed defined by Milanich (1971:35-36). It is difficult to distinguish from Prairie Cord Marked, especially when over stamped, but the presence of woven patterns of cord marks it. No varieties have been defined for this type.
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This type is not to be confused with much later Prairie Fabric Impressed that occurs in the Spanish mission period in mission sites within the Suwannee Valley region. These sherds were recovered from the Tick Island site in Volusia County, Florida.
Temper: Diatomaceous earth
Distribution: Most of peninsular Florida, even being found in sites within the Glades region
Age: Middle Woodland, St. Johns region
Vessel Forms: Unknown. These impressions were found on the bottom of a flat bottom vessel in the Glades region.
Decoration: Various mat weave impressions on diamaceous earth tempered paste.
Temper: Fine sand, most often with Mica present and occasional lumps of clay or or grit
Distribution: Northwest coast of Florida
Age:Middle to Late Woodland, Weeden Island I – II
Vessel Forms: Jars or collared jars. Rims slightly out-flared or in-curved and recurved. Exterior folds present. Lips flat and rounded
Decoration: Net impressions in clay before firing. Net impressions of diamond shaped mesh. Diamonds about 1 cm. long. There is a deep pit at each intersection of the cord impression suggestive of a knot. Decoration may have been done with a net-wrapped paddle. Impressions cover the entire vessel and may be semi-obliterated or blurred.
Temper: Fine sand with some mica present
Distribution: Along most of the Northwest and Central Florida Gulf Coast
Age: Late Woodland, Weeden Island II period
Vessel Forms: Flattened globular bowls, globular bowls with flared orifice, short-collared jars, long-collared jars, and cylindrical beakers. Rims are incurved, and incurved with short re curve at orifice. Small exterior flat folds. Massive rectangular and triangular (in cross section) folds. Lips are round-pointed, or flat. The latter have incised line, marked with triangular punctations on the top. Bases are rounded or flat.
Decoration: Ridges made by pinching up the vessel surface before firing. Designs are rows or ridges of pinched-up or piled-up surfaces. These may vary from rows of pinching, where each individual fingernail marking and accompanying pile are distinguishable as separate units, to continuous ridges. Ridges are spaced by 1 cm. or less and vary in depth from 1 to 4 mm. Decoration is in a band below the vessel rim with the rim border left plain. The rows are arranged parallel to the vertical axis of the vessel.
This type is the same as St. Johns Scored.
Temper: Diatomaceous earth
Distribution: Noted both along the St. Johns River basin by Goggin and at the Englewood site by Willey.
Age: Middle Woodland, Weeden Island and Englewood periods
Vessel Form: Deep pots with outflaring walls
Decoration: Scoring or striating the soft, unfired exterior surface of the vessel. Striations are shallow and 2 to 3 mm. in width. Random application.
Top row: Ichetucknee variety, bottom row: Santa Fe variety
Temper: unspecified
Distribution: Spanish mission sites within the Suwanee Valley region
Age: historic, Spanish mission period
Vessel Form: vessel forms include a simple bowl form and an apparently con no idle jar form, sometimes with a slightly flaring rim. Two examples of drilling below the rim are known.
Decoration:characterized by an apparently rushed course great declaration of parallel grooves frequently crossed. In overall appearance, the decoration of this type is coherent, yet closer examination reveals at least two varieties of this rushing, one of which is visually similar to simple stamped wears. two varieties are specified, Ichetucknee and Santa Fe. The Ichetucknee variety is marked by wide (CA 2 mm), evenly spaced parallel grooves, which are generally clear and bold, and often have striations within the grooves (usually two smaller grooves on either side). The visual effect of this variety is an initial impression of a simple stamped decoration, but it is more likely that this declaration is the result of a toothed tool, or perhaps a calm with wide spines, being dragged across the clay surface and partially smoothed over in some cases. The Santa Fe variety is marked by narrow grooves which are applied in a more random fashion, generally less parallel, last evenly spaced0 (typically between two and 4 mm),00000000000 and ranging from very light brushing to heavier incisions, occasionally quite deep (though still applied in a similarly random manner). This variety is far more similar to classic rushed wares and, as such, may have been made by bundles of pine straw, or even a fine toothed-calm like tool in some cases.
Temper: Fine sand with mica present in the clay (same as Weeden Island Plain)
Distribution: Northwest and central coastal areas of Florida
Age: Middle to Late Woodland, Weeden Island I & II periods
Vessel Forms: Moore shows one vessel of this type which may be a plant effigy such as a strawberry or mushroom.
Decoration: Deep, smooth-bottomed indentations. These are oval form, about 2 cm. long, i cm. wide, and 5mm. deep. Possibly made with finger in wet or soft clay.
