Megascopic and Petrographic Analyses of a Foreign Pottery Vessel from the Cahokia Site

A decorated pottery vessel excavated at the Cahokia site in southwestern Illinois is believed to be a specimen from the southeastern United States. A megascopic and a petrographic analysis are presented to confirm a southern origin. The megascopic analysis suggests that the vessel is of Caddoan derivation. The petrographic analysis demonstrates that the paste of the vessel is not indigenous to the American Bottoms and suggests the use of weathered Tertiary shale deposits from the lower Mississippi River Valley. Both analytical procedures are required in order to assess adequately the sources of origin for suspected foreign pottery specimens in archaeological sites.