6.4 American Pottery

As usual pottery was developed in different regions at different times. Some of the earliest evidence of earthenware pottery that has been found in South America, is as shards amongst large shell middens near early villages at the mouths of the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers, dated to before 5,000 BC. Evidence of earthenware vessels have been found in Valdivia, Ecuador dated as early as 5,500 BC. Subsequent finds have been in the coastal regions from the Amazon, north through Venezuela, Colombia and Peru. Dated from 4,000 BC there have been finds of fired clay vessels in Guyana and Colombia, and from 2,500 BC in Peru, all in the regions of earliest agricultural development. Ceramic figures of humans have also been found dated 3,000 BC in Valdivia. These female figures have also been found in tombs. Peru exhibited a relatively sophisticated ceramic tradition that is thought to have derived from its neighbours. By 1,500 BC the earthenware pottery was highly developed artistically and technically. The Chavin culture of Peru produced characteristic pottery from 900 BC.

Chavin culture bottle, Peru - courtesy Ancientartifax

The earliest pots in Meso-America are dated 2,400 BC. The technology was probably transferred via Colombia. The pre-Olmec culture there, known as Ocos, made very fine ceramics including female figures from around 1,500 BC.

Ocos Culture Figure - courtesy Ancientartifax

Olmec pottery (1,150 to 500 BC) used red pigments with incised lines and also stamping using the edge of a stick or shell.

In North America the earliest pottery found on the East Coast (Stallings Island) was dated to 2,500 BC. This was followed by pottery from the Adena culture around upper Ohio dated to 1,000 BC. Evidence from pottery recovered shows significant trading along the Eastern coast of North America.

There was little further development of pottery technology in America compared with other regions. As an example they never developed the pivoted potter’s wheel. Together with their isolation, this led to them having no impact outside their continent until very recent times.