Artifacts from the two prehistoric components of the Tillett site fall within four classes based on the material from which they were manufactured. These are ceramics, lithics, bone and shell; of the four, ceramic specimens are in the large majority, followed by lithic, bone and shell artifacts. Within each class are varying numbers of functional types; ceramic types include vessels and smoking pipes; lithic types present are projectile points and preforms, bifaces, (Page 40) drill, abraders, grinding stone, polished stone fragments, hammerstones and raw material and residue associated with lithic production processes; bone artifacts are represented by awls and the fragment of a possible ideological artifact; and the shell class includes a fragment of a net weight or hoe, a ladle and a fragment of unknown function.

Ceramic sherds are nearly equally divided between the Mount Pleasant and Colington components, but most of the other artifact types belong to the Colington component.

The total number of artifacts and the activities they represent is not large when compared with sedentary mainland sites, and is probably reasonable for a seasonal site.

Two ceramic series or ware groups constitute the majority at the site; these are the Mount Pleasant series and the Colington series, each a marker trait in its corresponding component. In addition, minor quantities of the Hanover series and Mockley ware associated with the Mount Pleasant component are represented in the collection.

This series, from which the Mount Pleasant phase takes its name, has been generally described and dated to the latter half of the middle Woodland period, although it is generally presumed to exist earlier as well. The Mount Pleasant series sample from the Tillett site numbers 784 sherds of which 200 were residual, or smaller than two centimeters and not classified by type. Types in the series from the site are described below in an abbreviated descriptive form.

Mount Pleasant Fabric Impressed (Sample = 419 Sherds)

Paste and Manufacture: The paste is compact, with a surface hardness of 2-3 (Moh's scale); temper usually consists of variable amounts of fine to medium sand with frequent particles of coarse sand and pebbles (2-7 mm.), both rounded and angular. Apparently within the normal range of temper variation are some specimens with only fine to medium sand temper, and others which contain primarily coarse sand and pebbles. Also present in most coastal region sites are sherds that combine the classic sand and pebble temper with a small to moderate amount of fired clay lumps. Fire clouding is present; both interior and exterior surfaces are usually oxidized with a darker, reduced core. (Page 41)

Surface Finish: Exterior surfaces were impressed with a tool which appears to be a series of dowels or other similar form lashed together by interweaving a twisted cord. The resulting finish is a series of parallel linear impressions with twine impressions perpendicular to them (Figure 13c). Dowel diameters appear to range from about 3 to 7 mm. While this has often been described as a form of fabric impression, the name may not be appropriate. The impressions usually cover the entire vessel exterior but may be smudged or partly obliterates near and on the base. One vessel, represented by 107 sherds from one square, may actually have a woven fabric impression (Figure 13d), but this finish is rare. Interior surfaces are usually smoothed, and occasional finger marks can be observed. Six sherds from this sample had interiors scraped with a serrated-edge tool.

Decoration: None

Vessel Form: Information on vessel form at the Tillett site was limited; rims and bases present suggest simple bowls, hemispherical and globular bowls and conoidal pot forms. Rim and lip forms (Figure 15) included three type a, one type b, one type c, three type d, one type e, one type f, one type h and one type i. Fabric impressions frequently occur on vessel lips and occasionally on the interior of rims where the dowel edge has been impressed perpendicular to the rim.

Geographic Range and Chronological Position: Present range is the coastal region of North Carolina. The type may extend into coastal South Carolina and extreme southern Virginia. Radiocarbon dates for the type presently range from around A.D. 200 to 800, but the type probably appears earlier than this (Phelps 1983:32).

Mount Pleasant Net Impressed (Sample = 28 Sherds)

(Ware characteristics, range and chronological position are the same as Mount Pleasant fabric impressed.)

Surface Finish: Impressed with a knotted net probably wrapped around a wooden or other paddle (Figure 13e). Net intersections on this sample form evenly spaced squares ranging from 4 to 10 mm. on a side. The net strings are twine, or twisted fiber. Impressions usually cover entire surface.

Vessel shape: Conoidal pot form suggested by present sample. One rim in the sample is type a (Figure 15). (Page 42)

Figure 13. Mount Pleasant, Mockley and Hanover ceramics. Mount Pleasant cord marked (a-b), fabric impressed (c-d), net impressed (e) and incised (f); Mockley net impressed (g); and Hanover cord marked (h) and fabric impressed (i). All actual size. (Page 43)

Mount Pleasant Card Marked (Sample = 126 Sherds)

Surface Finish: Impressed with a paddle wrapped with twined or twisted cord with diameters ranging from 2 to 4 mm. Cords may be closely or widely spaced and impressions may either be perpendicular or at an angle to the rim (Figure 13a-b). Cord impressions usually cover entire surface. Ten sherds had cord impressions applied vertically on the interior of the rim.

Vessel Form: Conoidal pot form suggested in this sample. Rims include three type a, two type d, and one each of types b, e, f, g, and h (Figure 15).

Mount Pleasant Incised (Sample = 1 Sherd)

(Ware characteristics, range and chronological position same as Mount Pleasant fabric impressed.)

Surface Finish: Both interior and exterior have been smoothed.

Decoration: A shallow, wide (3 mm.) incised geometric design appears on this sherd (Figure 13f). The incision seems to have been made with the ragged, but squared end of a stick or stem fragment of a reed. Narrow line incising is known from other sites in the locality (Phelps 1981:43).

Mount Pleasant Plain (Sample = 10 Sherds)

(Ware characteristics, range and chronological position same as Mount Pleasant fabric impressed.)

Surface Finish: All sherds in this sample exhibited smoothed exterior and interior surfaces.

Vessel Form: Not known; all sherds in this sample were body sherds of insufficient size to suggest form.

The Colington series is the Late Woodland period Colington phase ceramic manifestation in the Tidewater subregion of the North Coastal region. The Tillett site sample of 727 sherds includes about 200 which were smaller than two centimeters and not classified by type. (Page 44)

Figure 14. Colington ceramic types. Colington fabric impressed rims (a-d); incised and punctated (e-f) and cord-wrapped dowel (g) over fabric impressed surfaces; rim interior with chevron-shaped cord-wrapped dowel impressed (h); Colington plain (i); and Colington simple stamped (j). All actual size. (Page 45)

Figure 15. Ceramic rim and lip forms (all interiors to right; actual size). (Page 46)

Colington Fabric Impressed (Sample = 482)

Paste and Manufacture: Paste is usually compact although it may appear contorted because of the quantity of shell tempering material. Hardness is 2-3 (Moh's scale), surface color ranges from tan to reddish tan through brown and gray-brown and fire clouding is frequently seen. Occasional darker cores are observed. Construction is by coiling and fractures along coil lines are frequent. The tempering material is crushed shell, apparently oyster, in a range of sizes from specks to pieces 8 mm. wide and usually constitutes around 25 percent of the pastes (Figure 14).

Surface Finish: The entire exterior is impressed with a tool which appears to be a series of dowels interwoven with either twisted or smooth cord, similar to the technique described for Mount Pleasant fabric impressed. Dowel diameters range from 2 to 5 um. with the smaller end of the range prevalent. However, this appears to vary with the size of the vessel in some instances. Interior surfaces are usually smoothed and occasionally scraped.

Decoration: Usually confined to rim area but may extend half way down exterior. Combinations of incised lines and punctations are common, and usually appear in simple geometric arrangements (Figure 14e-f). Punctations were made with a variety of tools including small reeds, sharp or blunt sticks and other instruments. Incised lines may be narrow or broad. A few specimens have cord-wrapped dowel impressions parallel to the rim (Figure 14g), and five of the rim sherds in the present sample had cord-dowel impressions on the rim interior. Four of these were impressions perpendicular to the rim, but the other was a chevron design (Figure 14h).

Vessel Form: pot forms; simple, hemispherical and globular bowls; and beakers are known. Rim and lip forms in this sample include four type d, three type b, two each of types a, c, g and h, and one each of types e, f and i (Figure 15). Rims are frequently impressed with the cord-dowel tool, and occasionally notched by deeper impressions (Figure 13a-b). Patch or repair holes are present in the sample.

Geographic Range and Chronological Position: The type is found in the Tidewater subregion of the North Coastal region. Oyster shell tempering is limited to the immediate coastal zone, however, and this should probably be designated as a "coastal variety" of Colington ware to differentiate it (Page 47) from the mussel shell tempered ceramics found in the inland sections of the Tidewater ("inland variety"). Radiocarbon dates range from about A.D. 800 to 1650. The temporal-cultural position of Colington ware and its relationship to neighboring ceramic series has been recently described (Phelps 1983:36-37).

Figure 16. Colington Plain rim sherds. Notice the shallow notches on the lip(c) and the punctation formed by a periwinkle shell (d). All actual size.

Colington Simple Stamped (Sample = 3)

(Ware characteristics, form, geographic range and chronological position same as Colington fabric impressed.)

Surface Finish: The three sherds in this sample all have rectangular lands and grooves (2 mm. wide) made by a carved paddle (Figure 14j). The stamping usually covers the entire surface.

Colington Plain (Sample = 42 Sherds)

(Ware characteristics, geographic range and chronological position same as Colington fabric impressed.)

Surface Finish: Vessel exterior and interior smoothed (Figure 14i); one sherd in this sample has interior scraping with a serrated tool. (Page 48)

Vessel Form: Vessel shape unknown; rims include four types and one each of types a and h. One rim has notches impressed with a smooth dowel (Figure 16c) and another has a punctation made with a periwinkle shell below the lip (Figure 16d).

The Tillett site ceramic collection includes two other series which were contemporary with the Mount Pleasant component. The Hanover series (South 1976:16) is represented by seven cord marked and three fabric impressed sherds (Figure 13h-i). Minor amounts of this clay tempered ware are usually found in Mount Pleasant coastal sites, which may explain the occasional Mount Pleasant practice of including clay lumps with the normal sand and pebble temper. Fourteen sherds of Mockley net impressed were also found on the site. This Middle Woodland shell tempered ware is more frequent in Tidewater Virginia, where it is dated between A.D. 400-800 (Stephenson and Ferguson 1963:103-109). So far, Mockley ware has been found in very small quantities on sites in the northern coastal area, but future research may show that this ware is the stimulus for popularity and development of the succeeding Colington series.

Figure 17 presents the seriation of ceramics from three control squares (-42L2, -42L6, -56R2) selected because they had less disturbance than other units, and all had a Zone II midden depth of 40 centimeters. The total sherd count (100% sample) for each level was: level 1 - 87, level 2 - 214, level 3 - 327 and level 4 - 87. Level 1 in these squares was somewhat disturbed by grading which occasionally penetrated into level 2.

The chart confirms the temporal sequence with Mount Pleasant preceding Colington as has been the case elsewhere, and which is borne out by the available radiocarbon dates for the two series. The seriation also suggests that the fabric impressed types were the "workhorses" of both series, while other types have a minor representation. Both Hanover and Mockley occurred in too low a frequency to overcome the mechanical mixing of the midden and sort into their proper temporal position.

More important, the seriation shows that the lowest level of the midden was primarily deposited during the Mount Pleasant component, and the Colington occupation began sometime during the deposition of level 3. Although mechanical mixing on each occupational level has certainly played a roll, the general stratigraphic relationship of the two midden components is clearly illustrated. The radiocarbon dates (Page 49) for the two components also fit well with the chart. Feature 6 intruded from the bottom of midden level 2 and dated the beginning of the Colington component around A.D. 860. Pit 1 with its date of ca. A.D. 460 intruded into the sterile sand from the bottom of the midden and dates the beginning of the Mount Pleasant component.

Figure 17. Ceramic seriation in control squares -42L2, -42L6 and -56R2. (Page 50)

Two fragmentary smoking pipes were reclaimed from the excavations. One of these, found in the disturbed upper midden level of square -56R2, is a flattened stem fragment which tapers toward the rounded mouthpiece end (Figure 20h). It has a remaining maximum length of 41 millimeters, is 21 millimeters across its greatest remaining width and has a maximum thickness of 7 millimeters. The stem hole is an irregular, flattened oval in cross-section with a width of 5 millimeters. At first appearance, the specimen gives the impression of a "monitor" type of pipe, but the evidence of the flattened stem hole and the presence of a midline concavity along the top of the stem suggest that the stem of this pipe collapsed in the production process, either during the drying stage or early in the firing. Apparently the flattened stem did not prevent its use (the stem hole is open), and it was eventually discarded after breaking. The exterior finish is smooth, shows a few scraping marks from the finishing process, and is reddish-tan in color, possibly from application of a clay slip. The paste incorporates a temper of fine sand and small flakes of mica, the latter suggesting that it was produced at a site in an inner estuarine locality where micaceous sands are available.

The other specimen is a stem fragment with an elliptical cross-section broken at the point of joining with the bowl (Figure 20i) . The angle of attachment (bowl-to-stem) is obtuse and sharply delineated in a way characteristic of Colington phase pipes. The temper is fine to medium sand and the surface is smooth with a dull red color, possibly a slip, where it is still intact. Stem cross-section dimensions are 22 millimeters (the long axis of the ellipse) by 15 millimeters with a round stem hole diameter of 7 millimeters. The specimen was found in the Colington component midden of square -42. (Page 51)