The Steven Fullen: Development and Evolution of Prehistoric Pottery in the Southeast April 23, 2009

Pottery technology began to spread across the southeastern United States by 4500 B. C. Pottery technology arrived in Louisiana by 2500 B.C., though only in small, isolated regions. Pottery's flourescence occurred in the prehistoric Tchula Period (1000 B.C.- 1 A.D.) and rapidly diverged from the limited forms and decorative motifs seen in earlier pieces. The technological evolution of pottery, though, occured less rapidly and more tentatively. It took nearly almost 1,000 years and the introduction of cultural elements, if not people, from the Ohio River Valley to change the crude clay processing methods seen in Tchula Period pottery. This paper will explore these trends and explain the technological and cultural aspects of early pottery in Louisiana.