A. Engraved Wares
Holly Fine Engraved type is represented by 10 sherds ([Fig. 5], A, B), one from a bottle, five from shallow bowls, and four uncertain. Indicated height of bowl rims is 2.5 to 3 cm., vertical or mildly outsloping. Colors are tan, gray and brown, no black polished. Two of the sherds are bone tempered. Wall thickness is 6 to 9 mm. The engraved lines are usually diagonal on the bowls and seven have excised triangles.
Hickory Fine Engraved type includes two whole vessels, both bottles, and nine sherds from four bowls, one bottle, two small jar or cup forms, and two of uncertain form. The first bottle ([Fig. 4], C) is 26 cm. high, 14 cm. in body diameter, has an evenly tapered spout and shouldered body. Three lightly engraved lines encircle the shoulder. The second bottle, which also occurred with Burial 1, has the spout missing but body intact. The body is 12.6 cm. high, 15.2 cm. in diameter, and has eight engraved lines encircling the upper body area. Both of these bottles are gray in color, with black fire clouds, and are clay tempered. Eight of the sherds of this type ([Fig. 5], E, G) are tan to gray with black areas, while the ninth ([Fig. 5], F) is black and polished, with cross-engraved decoration. No other Hickory sherd is polished. Temper is clay-grit or sherd, one with bone. The bowls appear to have vertical or outsloping rims, with walls 5 to 7 mm. thick, but one sherd is from an incurvate bowl, 4 mm. thick. Five of the sherds have horizontally engraved lines, 4 to 9 mm. apart; three have diagonal parallel lines and one has cross diagonals. The latter is a rim sherd and the rounded lip has transverse notching 7-9 mm. apart ([Fig. 5], F).
Fig. 5. Engraved Sherds. A, B, Holly Fine Engraved. C, D, Holly or Hickory Fine Engraved. E-G, Hickory Fine Engraved; H, Untyped zig-zag engraved. I-P, Carmel Engraved. Q, Untyped with spurred engraved lines. R, Probable Maddox Engraved.
Six sherds could be either Holly or Hickory Fine Engraved ([Fig. 5], C, D). One is from the top of a bottle spout, another from a bottle shoulder, two are bowl sherds, and the other forms are doubtful. The bottle sherds have horizontally engraved lines, the other four are diagonal. One bowl sherd, light in surface color, is only 4 mm. thick. The surface colors of both Holly and Hickory Fine Engraved types at this site are more like the later (Phase 2 and 3) periods at the Davis Site; the earlier vessels at Davis were preponderantly dark in surface color.
Carmel Engraved Type
([Fig. 5], I-P)
This is presented as a new type, as it is a major engraved type at this site—with 17 sherds, of which 11 are rim sherds—and has been found with Alto pottery at five other sites in northwestern Louisiana. There were five Carmel Engraved sherds from the Colbert Site; four each from Greer, Mounds Plantation, and Marston sites; and three from Chamarre Lake Site. The description is based on the Smithport collection.
METHOD OF MANUFACTURE: Coiled. PASTE Temper: Clay-grit or ground sherd; bone in 2 of 17 sherds. Texture: Compact, generally fine, occasionally coarse. Color: Shades of gray from light to almost black, often on same sherd (fire clouds); buff, tan and reddish-brown. Nearly half of the Smithport sample has reddish-brown exteriors and interiors. Cores may be same color as exterior, sometimes darker. Surface Finish: Smoothed exteriors and interiors, a few with fair polish, none highly polished.
FORM Wall Thickness: 5 to 7 mm., uniform. Lip: Rounded, usually unmodified; occasional thinning. Base: Uncertain, probably mildly convex, circular. Vessel Shape and Size: So far as presently known, open and carinated bowls only. Rims are 3 to 7 cm. in height, about equally divided between 3-5 and 5-7 cm. range, from an obtuse angle at the junction of base and rim. The bases appear to be shallow; the rims mildly excurvate, or direct and slanted outward. A few appear to be vertical. Curvatures suggest diameters of 20-30 cm.