Ancestral Pueblo: Greater MogollonMogollon HighlandsMogollon-MimbresMogollon Brown WareReserve Plain Smudged

Type Name: Reserve Plain Smudged

Period: 600 A.D. - 1250 A.D.
Culture: Ancestral Pueblo: Greater Mogollon
Branch: Mogollon Highlands
Tradition: Mogollon-Mimbres
Ware: Mogollon Brown Ware


First posted by C. Dean Wilson 2012

Reserve Smudged was defined by Nesbitt (1938). This type is somewhat similar to Alma Plain except for the presence of heavily smudged surfaces particular on the interiors of bowls (Nesbitt 1938; Rinaldo 1956; Wilson 1999). Plain Smudged pottery appears to have been over a very long span from about A.D. 600 to 1250. While it is sometimes implied that smudged brown wares did not appear until the Late Pithouse period, a low frequency pottery with smudged surfaces is present at assemblages dating to the late pare of the Early Pithouse period. The range of characteristics noted in early smudged vessels is slightly different than that observed in later examples of Reserve smudged (Wilson 1999). Examples of pottery consistently exhibiting characteristics described for Reserve Smudged appear in significant frequencies during the Late Pithouse and Pueblo periods.

Interior surfaces noted for pottery assigned to Reserve Plain Smudged tend to be highly polished with a thick smudged layer. Bowl forms maybe polished on both the interior and exterior surface, although smudging is usually limited to the interior surface. When present on the exterior surface, it is usually limited to the areas along and just below the rim. The reduction and sooting of the interior surface is often very deep, and the black color often penetrates halfway into the vessel wall. This often results in a streaky profile in which the exterior half of the vessel wall exhibits a brownish to reddish color, while the interior part exhibits a black to dark gray color. Polishing ranges from light sporadic polishing to extremely highly polished surfaces. Exterior surfaces of bowls include those that are evenly smoothed and heavily polished surfaces as well as less smoothed dimpled surfaces. Range of wall thickness is similar to that noted for other Mogollon plain brown ware types. The majority of sherds assigned to this type tend to be derived from bowls, although cooking/storage jars can be represented. Bowl rim sherds exhibit a wide range of profiles and shapes. While depth and shape of bowls vary considerably, bowls are often unusually deep and steep compared to shapes noted for other Mogollon types. Rim profiles are extremely variable and included tapered and rounded rims similar to those noted in other Mogollon brown ware types, as well as rims exhibiting various degrees of flaring. These include slight flares and distinct eversion in the rim profile. Examples exhibiting flared rims are most common during later (Tularosa phase) occupations.

References:
Nesbitt, Paul
1938 Starkweather Ruin. Logan Museum Publications in Anthropology, Bulletin 6, Beloit College, Beloit, Wisconsin.

Rinaldo, John B., and Elaine Bluhm
1956 Late Mogollon Pottery Types of the Reserve Area. Fieldiana: Anthropology 36 (7):149-187.

Wilson, C. Dean
1999 Ceramic Types and Attributes. In Archaeology of the Mogollon Highlands Settlement Systems and Adaptations; Volume 4. Ceramics, Miscellaneous Artifacts, Bioarchaeology. Bone Tools and Faunal Analysis, edited by Y.R Oakes and D.A. Zamora, pp 5-86. Office of Archaeological Studies Archaeology Notes 232, Museum of New Mexico, Santa Fe.




Related Photos

Reserve Plain Smudged jar sherd

Reserve Plain Smudged bowl sherd (interior surface)

Reserve Plain Smudged bowl sherd (exterior surface)

Reserve Plain Smudged bowls

Reserve Plain Smudged bowl

Reserve Plain Smudged bowl

Reserve Plain Smudged bowl