Final Ceramic Horizon (ca. 450-300 Years B.P.)
In southern New England, the ceramics of the Late Woodland and Contact Periods (ca. 500-300 Years B.P.) are considered a product of the local Windsor tradition. Identified ceramic types include Niantic, Hackney Pond, and Shantok Castellated. This document provides short descriptions for each type which are illustrated in the file latepot.gif. Niantic
The Niantic types (Rouse 1947; Lavin and Miroff 1992) represent the final pan-regional ceramic horizon. Niantic pottery first appears at the end of the Late Woodland Period (ca. 500 B.P.) and persists into the Contact Period (ca. 300 B.P.).

Niantic ceramics are characterized by globular bodies, constricted necks, and low relief collars. Niantic has been further subdivided into subtypes by Lavin (1980): Niantic Stamped, Niantic Punctate, Niantic Stamp/Drag, Niantic Incised.

The decoration found on Niantic pottery typically consists of shell stamped and/or incised lines in horizontal, vertical, and opposed oblique orientation. The use of opposed oblique lines creates a series of triangular designs. Decoration is usually restricted to the collar. Interior decoration is another feature common to the Niantic type. Low relief castellations have been noted on Niantic ceramics, but this practice is not common. In coastal regions the temper is usually shell, while in the upland interior regions mineral temper is common. Sherd thickness usually averages between 7 and 10 mm. Niantic is considered the ancestral type from which the Hackney Pond and Shantok Castellated types were derived. Hackney Pond
Hackney Pond ceramics are similar to Niantic in the range and orientation of design elements. The Hackney Pond type was first identified by McBride (1984) based on material recovered the lower Connecticut River valley. Hackney Pond ceramics are best characterized by low relief collars and their lack of castellations. Incised and stamped lines are arranged into repeating triangular patterns much like those noted for Niantic.

One of the most distinctive qualities of Hackney Pond ceramics is the lack of temper. Sherds of this type often exhibit fine, compact paste. Porosity associated with the leaching of shell temper is virtually absent. Hackney Pond ceramics are also noted for their relatively thin vessel walls. Sherds range in thickness from 3 to 9 mm and usually average less than 8 mm.

In general, Hackney Pond appears to be a direct descendant of the Niantic type and represents a local refinement of ceramic technology. Shantok Castellated
Shantok was originally defined as a tradition, distinct from the local Windsor Tradition ceramics of southern New England (Rouse 1947). More recent analysis of stylistic data indicates that Shantok is in reality a Windsor Tradition type. The largest Shantok assemblage was recovered from the historic Mohegan site of Fort Shantok, in Montville, Connecticut. To avoid confusion, the label Shantok Castellated is used to identify the most distinct group of Late Woodland/Contact Period ceramics in southern New England. Non-castellated ceramics formerly assigned to the Shantok Tradition more closely match the local Niantic and Hackney Pond ceramic types. The decorative aspects of the castellated specimens also closely match designs identified on contemporary Windsor types.

As the name implies, the castellation is an important attribute in distinguishing Shantok ceramics from contemporary Windsor and Hackney Pond types. Shantok ceramics are almost always shell tempered and the vessel body is often porous. Thickness ranges are comparable with Hackney Pond ceramics and range from 3 to 9 mm.

Castellations are subject to a variety of treatments. The most common form is the 'split' castellation which is formed by vertically incising the castellation. Effigies have been noted on castellations in southern New England, though they are rare. In New York state, effigies are also noted on castellated pottery of the late Owasco Tradition. Summary
The late ceramics of southern New England demonstrate in situ developments in terms of decoration, morphology, and technology during the period 500-300 Years B.P.. All three types are considered the final types of the Windsor ceramic tradition. While all of these types are distinctly part of the local Windsor Tradition, the late pottery of southern New England shares many similarities with contemporary ceramics types of New York and the middle-Atlantic states. Pan-regional similarities in ceramics appear to cross-cut linguistic and ethnic boundaries (Iroquois and Algonquian).

References

Lavin, Lucianne (1980), Analysis of ceramic vessels from the Ben Hollister Site. Bulletin of the Archaeological Society of Connecticut, 43:3-42.

Lavin, Lucianne and Laurie Miroff (1992), Aboriginal pottery from the Indian Ridge Site, New Milford, Connecticut. Bulletin of the Archaeological Society of Connecticut, 55:39-61.

Lizee, Jonathan (1994), Prehistoric Ceramic Sequences and Patterning in southern New England: The Windsor Tradition. University Microtext, Ann Arbor.

McBride, Kevin (1984), Prehistory of the lower Connecticut River valley. University Microtext, Ann Arbor.

Rouse, Irving (1947), Ceramic traditions and sequences in Connecticut. Bulletin of the Archaeological Society of Connecticut, 21:10-25.

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