Radio carbon dating shows that Silvernale pottery was made from 1100-1300
A.D, during the
Middle
Mississippian Period.
Silvernale ceramics have been found in southeastern Minnesota, primarily in the Red Wing area and in western Wisconsin in the Diamond Bluff area.
Notched and unnotched projectile points, scrapers, bison scapula hoes, storage pits and faunal remains reveal a mixed economy of both hunting/gathering and agriculture. Burials in subsurface pits and small flat-topped mounds are also present in sites where Silvernale pottery has been found.
Powell Plain, Red Wing, Bryan Composite, Goodhue, Cannon, Barton Composite, Vermilion, Blue Earth Composite, Prairie Island, Pepin and Winnebago.
Silvernale pottery is generally shell-tempered, with a coloration ranging from
gray to tan. It has smooth surface treatments, and a thickness ranging from 4
to 6 mm. Lloyd
Wilford's excavation of the Silvernale Site in 1952 produced 61 ceramic
rims, 22 of which had rolled rims (as pictured above) and 39 with flared rims.
The vessels are globular in shape with rolled or flared rims at the mouth, thin necks and rounded bottoms. Handles at the mouth of the vessels are occasionally found. The mouth of the pot measures about 17 cm across, and widens to about 30 cm at the shoulder. The vessels average about 17 cm high.
Silvernale phase pottery has certain attributes that are similar to other ceramic assemblages. The high rims and rectangular-shaped shoulder decoration are typical of the Oneota tradition and are closely associated with Blue Earth phase ceramics, a variant of Silvernale ceramics. Also, the short-rolled rims and curvilinear motifs on the shoulder that are frequently characteristic of Silvernale, are shared by the ceramic assemblages of Cahokia and Aztalan.
Anfinson, Scott F. A Handbook of Minnesota Prehistoric Ceramics. The Minnesota Archaeological Society, Fort Snelling, St.Paul, MN. 1979.
Anfinson, Scott F. Minnesota Anthropology No. 5. The Minnesota Archaeological Society, Fort Snelling, St.Paul, MN.
Gibbon, Guy. A Simplified Algorithm Model For The Classification Of Silvernale And Blue Earth Phase Ceramic Vessels.
Gibbon, Guy. Some Studies of Minnesota Prehistoric Ceramics: Papers Presented at the First Council For Minnesota Archeology Symposium. The Minnesota Archeological Society, Fort Snelling, St.Paul, MN. 1976.