Elick, Jennifer, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Susquehanna University, 514 University Ave, Selinsgrove, PA, 17870, elick@susqu.edu; Binkley, Ainslee, M., Earth and Environmental Sciences, Susquehanna University, 514 University Ave, Selinsgrove, PA, 17870; Ciccarello, EmmaLia, Mary Earth and Environmental Sciences Susquehanna University 514 University Ave Jennifer Selinsgrove PA, 17870
Pottery sherds collected from the Isle of Que in Selinsgrove, PA, provided design, compositional (mineralogical and chemical), and size information that guided our reproduction of pottery in the Susquehannock style. Susquehannock pottery is characterized by its cord-marked bulbous body and tall collar decorated with incised triangular or diamond patterns, often accompanied by horizontal bands of impressions just below the lip. Some vessels also feature distinctive effigies incorporated into the collar. To reduce cracking, the Susquehannocks tempered their clay with chert, quartz sand, and shell fragments.
We analyzed the pottery sherds to better understand the designs, dimensions, and materials used in Isle of Que pottery. The sherds were examined using calipers, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Wavelength-Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (WDXRF), and thin-section petrography. Sherd thickness ranged from 0.2 cm to 1.13 cm. Our results suggest that local illitic clays were likely collected from Penns Creek, Middle Creek, and the Susquehanna River. Sand from nearby streams and the river, shell fragments from mussels, and crushed Shriver chert (Devonian) may also have been used as tempering materials.
For pottery reproduction, we gathered wild clay from local sources and hand-filtered it to remove pebbles and organic matter. Shriver chert debitage collected from the Isle of Que, quartz sand, and crushed mollusk shells were ground into sand-sized grains and added to the clay as temper (~20%). Pots were formed beginning with a rounded pinch-pot base, which rested in a sand-filled reservoir to maintain its shape. We experimented with bulbous boulders, squash, and pukis as molds and casts to achieve the desired bulbous form but found that a coarse sand reservoir worked best. Coils were added to the pinch pot to construct the tall collar. Because the local clay required firming before it could support the heavy collar, the vessels were left to partially dry to a leather-hard consistency.
At this stage, cord-marking was applied to the body using a cord-wrapped paddle and anvil. The paddle was made from a piece of wood wrapped with cordage woven from native milkweed fibers, while a rounded stone served as the anvil. Additional tools such as bones, sticks, and stone points were used to create decorative patterns and motifs on the pots. The finished vessels were air-dried and then fired using the campfire method, successfully reproducing the form, texture, and stylistic qualities of traditional Susquehannock pottery.
Susquehannocks , Reproduction Pottery , Isle of Que , Selinsgrove