These Sherds are circa late 18th early 19th century. Carrying anything from whisky/wine to molasses… Usually two tone earthen ware, very easy to make quite durable. I’d agree with Rasa on the midden they were common among settlers… Though of particular interest in this first page are the yellow lines. These are common among the Chawktaw Indians, a little more southerly than the Blueridge area, but inter nation trading was certainly not uncommon.
Second page: Metal and Bones on this page are very interesting. I wish I had a thre dimentional on that long spike, then I’d say it was a pick, or some sort of awl, but if found in a midden it was most likely part of something much bigger. The iron circle you have there look at the northwest and southwest corner. See the bevels, I would mark those a cap, of sorts. Possibly, a butter churn cap that broke or I suppose it could be part of a bridal for a horse or oxen team. The size immediatley threw me off for the bridal.
The bones, I’d say Boar or Bear. the bone in the middle of the two crescent claws could be a goat or deer hoof, it looks like something from a hoven animal.
Pottery from this page and the ceramics from this page are most likely earthen ware similar to the first link with a sliightly different glaze. Looks like lead-glaze with possibly manganese.
The ceramics. China is my guess. Blue hued ceramics back then were prized as being from the orient, the deep indigo’s were a grand addition to any settlers home. Widly traded through the New England and Charleston ports early on they became a wondrous fad in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
This was fun Jonathan, I am happy I joined the boards, if ever I can be of assistence in the future please let me know.
I just returned from being on travel for three months in Northern Africa, and I was assured I will be home for the next year at least, with domestic travel being limited as well. Feel free to email me with any other Archaeological Q’s.
Cheers,
Antiquarian.
p.s. experimental archaeology - recreating the past with modern experimentation. example, skinning a bear with neanderthal tools.
I mainly work in Surveying and excavation of sights about to be built upon my Big Comany X…
China? No, white and blue glaze on rather indelicate earthenware would say British, maybe Dutch (I knew those hours wasted watching Antiques Roadshow would pay off eventually! )
As for experimental archeology, I almost took off the top half of my thumb learning how to knap obsidion. The shit’s SHARP!
yes there was plenty of British and Dutchware available, but there was more passing that down familial lines, than trading it. This plate was circa 1792-1820. Tradable ceramics we call it. Now it could be Dutch, because the designs are more of a drip/plunge design, not the intricated detail of ornate plates.
And yes learning how to flake obsidian, or even alabaster, can give one a sore thumb…
** I love watching antiques roadshow with my fiance, we always wish we had some of the things we have dug up to show these guys and gals appraising…I have a midieval chastity belt from Wales that I bet he’d tell me was a 19th century beaver trap…excuse the pun.
Wow, cool. AS NOTED BY THE LNO CONTINGENT, it’s not often I get to use my archaeology training. Good to see so many of us reprazentin’ here on the boards! Elly how did I not know you did archaeology? Huh, cool! And drop too.
Geez, I just graduated 4 yrs ago this May and I’ve never heard of Experimental Archaeology. Our choices were: public archaeology or anthropology. And who wants to be a bug eater?
Sorry for the mini-hijack. Jonathan, as cool as this is I’d still consult your SHPO and let them dig. Once you take stuff outta the ground it loses all “meaning” so you might want to leave things be, as hard as it is!
Former Archaeologist checking in (now in computer graphics). Definitly looks like a midden. Either a trash heap or a privy. Digging in privies is fun, as long as they are VERY old.
It’s a bit sad Rasa that you’ve just graduated and aren’t aware of experimental archaeology. One of my professors in college was a expert flint knapper (Dennis Blanton) so I guess I was exposed to the ideas more than average.
Does anyone remember “History’s Mysteries Challenge” a show on The History Channel? Basically it was an experiemental archaeology tv show! The show where they tried to determine if Caesar bridging the Rhine was fact or fiction, was very interesting. They determined that it could be done if you had a lot of manual labor (ie the Roman Army) at your disposal. Since they were only 6 guys, their “bridge” only extended a few meters out.
Oh, I’m in marketing, if anyone was wondering what I do with my archaeology degree.
Where I studied EA in the UK. Exeter College is part of Oxford and my postgrad work centered around History with a consentration on EA.
It was a prvilage and honor to study abroad, I was a probationer research student for a year, and taught Colonization of Indigenous New England for Master Study.
I should learn to articulate myself a little better on these boards, I forget myself sometimes, you guys are spot on…
Hello Again - I loved Histories Mysteries
I survey/excavate potential sights before big company x builds their 4 story underground parking garages…I work out of Boston but am on travel quite often.
Jonathan - sorry for the 2-d clarifications, I was wrong on the hove idea.
The spike I may say could have been a wood working spacer, for spliting 2 X 6 size planks. Many were fashioned in a hurry and later discarded if one was in a rush to carve their homestead out of the wood.
Seems like a rather substantial building method for something that is just going to get picked up and moved or knocked over and rebuilt when they dig a new hole a few years down the road. I’ve seen 'em made of branches, though, which leaves them well ventilated.
I’m not an archeologist, but I can tell you for certain what a couple of those metal things are.
The long thin rectangular piece of metal that tapers to a point at one end and has horizontal striations, is what is known as…
a file.
Next to that, it looks like a couple of shearing pins, or nails, but I can’t tell for sure, but I’ll go with shearing pins for reasons which will become clear in a moment.
Awwright who said the round thing was a bridle part?
C’mere and let me slap you some.
Do you see the portrusions around 6 O’clock, and 11 O’clock?
This is what is known to us mechanical types as an “O ring.”
The protusions ensure that it only fits one way, and does not move when installed in whatever it was that it was installed in.
My 1948 Super A Farmall has a bunch of O rings things at mechanical joints that act to prevent the edges of right angle joints from grinding against each other, while providing some flexibility in the joint.
O rings are generally used as gaskets and joints. That there is an O ring.
Wow, Jonathon Chance! I have a serious case of “things I found while digging in my garden” envy going on after looking at those pics.
So far, in my own yard I’ve only been lucky enough to unearth a lot of arrowheads and one very interesting stone tool which I one day hope to post pics of since I have no clue what it is.
Here’s hoping you unearth even more treasures in your yard.
)
