INVESTIGATION OF MIDDLE TO LATE WOODLAND TRANSITIONAL POTTERY AT THREE SITES (40SQ115/40BS101, 40BS103, AND 40BS107) IN THE SEQUATCHIE VALLEY, TENNESSEE

Abstract

This thesis investigates three technological attributes of prehistoric pottery production in the Sequatchie Valley of southeastern Tennessee at Sites 40SQ115/40BS101, 40BS103, and 40BS107 as a means to understand the sociopolitical influences on residential populations during the transitional Middle to Late Woodland period between 1400 – 1250 BP. An assemblage of 282 sherds were analyzed to assess the technofunctional aspects of pottery production based upon Steponaitis’s 1982 model of ceramic vessel functions in the southeastern United States. This research uses limestone temper grain size, average temper density, and prevalence of exterior surface treatments to investigate the sociopolitical influences on residential populations. Through this research it appears that the production of utilitarian cooking vessels indicates a cohesion of interaction amongst localized networks across the Sequatchie Valley.