Type definition

Adapted from Suhm and Jelks (1962:154-155, Plate 78).

PASTE

Temper

Fine clay-grit; sometimes no visible temper.

Texture

Compact, seldom crumbly.

Color

Various shades of buff, light brown, gray. Some fire mottling. Occasionally a bright red film. Cores gray to brown.

Surface finish

Poorly smoothed to fairly well smoothed.

FORM

Wall thickness

Four to seven mm.

Lip

Rounded, rolled outward.

Base

Round, flat disk on ollas; on bottles, flat to convex.

Vessel shape and size

Mainly bottles and small jars. Some ollas.

DECORATION

Treatment

Engraving, excising, punctating.

Designs

Scrolls, repeated four times around vessel. Each scroll consists of two arms, one beginning at upper margin, other at lower margin. They circle into one another, sometimes not meeting at center but separated by a gap, at other times meeting at opposite sides of a small circle. This circle may be excised or cross-hatched or have a cross in it. Where the two scroll arms pass above and below this circle, they are widened considerably by excising. These swellings may occur even when there is no circle joining the two scroll arms. Sometimes the two arms that hook toward one another are plain single lines, ticked lines, or narrow cross-hatched bands. Punctated areas may appear around top of body. Red pigment seldom occurs.

CULTURAL AFFILIATIONS

A Titus Focus type. These vessels were originally included in Ripley Engraved but have now been separated because of the peculiar scroll arms and the much smaller range of vessel forms. The Wilder type requires more research for more precise distinction from both Ripley Engraved and Taylor Engraved.

DISTRIBUTION

Same as Ripley Engraved.

ESTIMATED AGE

CE 1200-1500.