David Anderson's type description

Background

The Irene Incised type was originally defined by Joseph R. Caldwell and Antonio J. Waring, Jr. in 1939 based on material recovered from excavations at the Irene mound. See discussion for Irene Complicated Stamped. DePratter (1991 :192-193) has recently provided a revised description, based on work conducted since the W.P.A.

Sorting criteria

Bold incising, usually simple designs below the rim of bowls, sometimes in conjunction with rim modification, on folds. "The design generally consists of horizontal bands of repeated or alternating design elements. Three to seven parallel lines [are] most common on Irene phase vessels. Designs are relatively simple and include concentric festoons, circle, guilloches, and swirls. ...Punctations in combination with incising is rare" (DePratter 1991: 192). Both interior and exterior surfaces are well smoothed or burnished, and only rarely sandy or gritty in texture. The paste contains a large amount of coarse sand with inclusions up to 3.0-4.0 mm in size common.

Distribution

Irene Incised ceramics are found along the lower Savannah River and in the Sea Island area to the north and south of the mouth of the Savannah. The ware becomes progressively uncommon to the northeast of the Savannah.

Chronological Position

Late Mississippian period (AD 1450-AD 1550). Temporal placement of the ware is drawn largely from its position in the mouth-of-the-Savannah sequence and along the Georgia coast Caldwell 197 1 DePratter 1979).

References

Caldwell and Waring (1939a, 1939b); Caldwell and McCann (1941); Caldwell (1952, 1958, 1971); Fairbanks (1950); Williams (1968); DePratter (1979, 1991 :192-193).