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Preliminary Investigation of Orange Micaceous Earthenware from The Early Colonial Period Charles Towne Colony, Cape Fear River, North Carolina: Implications for Local Manufacture

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2011

Michael S. Smith ,
Thomas C. Loftfield  and
Fiona M. Paulsson
Michael S. Smith
Affiliation:
Department of Earth SciencesUniversity of North Carolina, Wilmington, NC 28403, USA
Thomas C. Loftfield
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of North Carolina, Wilmington, NC 28403, USA
Fiona M. Paulsson
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of North Carolina, Wilmington, NC 28403, USA
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Abstract

Archaeological investigation of early Colonial Period orange micaceous earthenware from eastern North American sites is complicated by the presence of a variety of material that may have either local, European or Barbadian ancestry. The ephemeral Charles Towne colony (1664-1667) on the Cape Fear River in southeastern North Carolina is currently under historical and archaeological investigation by the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. At this site approximately 20 to 25% of the recovered sherds are of an orange micaceous composition. The provenance of these sherds is being investigated by a combination of petrographic techniques and clay and detrital mineral studies. We use this approach to evaluate whether these sherds represent evidence of local manufacture. To this end we have studied the local clay deposits as possible source areas and acquired samples of both sherd and clay material from Barbados for comparison. Results from this study have implications for early Colonial local earthenware manufacture and points to the influence of Barbados in the colonization of eastern North America.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 352: Symposium – Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology IV , 1995 , 589
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1995

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