First Posted by C. Dean Wilson 2014

Gila Plain Utility was defined by Haury and Haury (1939). As described here. this type refers to utility wares common in Salado period sites across large areas of the Southwest although forms assigned to this type were produced in regions of the Hohokam for over a thousand years (Wood 1987). A variety of this type assumed to have been produced in areas of the eastern portion of Salado region is Cliff Plain Utility as defined by Nelson and LeBlanc (1986). Cliff Plain was defined by Nelson and LeBlanc (1986). This category refers to plain unslipped pottery common in assemblages in areas of the easternmost Salado which is also very similar to Mogollon forms produced in this regin over a very long period.

Exterior surfaces range from brown to gray. Paste range from brown to red, and reflect the use of iron rich clays. Temper consists of fine volcanic clastic inclusions. Exteriors surfaces may be well polished but are usually smoothed with a slightly dimpled finish(Nelson 1986; Wilson 1998). Utility wares can be assigned to a series of descrptive groups based on interior surface finish including polishing and smudging (Wilson 1998). Examples with smudged interiors often exhibit highly polished black interiors. Vessels forms include both jars with wide short necks and hemispherical bowls with everted rims. This type appears to be similar to pottery from the west described as Belford Plain. Temper consists of fine volcanic clastic inclusions. Pottery assigned to this group resemble types defined for brown associated with both Mogollon and Salado regional traditions and reflect a widespread technology associated with the production of utility ware forms usually utilizing self-tempered clays common in the highlands to the southern Southwest.

References:
Gladwin, Winifred and Harold S. Gladwin
1930 Some Southwestern Pottery Types: Series II. Medallion Papers No. 7, Gila Pueblo, Globe.

Nelson, Ben A., and Steven LeBlanc
1986 Short-Term Sedentism in the American Southwest: The Mimbres Valley Salado. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque.

Wilson, C. Dean
1998 Ormand Ceramic Analysis Part I: Methodology and Categories. In The Ormand Village: Final Report on the 1965-1966 Excavation, by L.T. Wallace, pp. 195-252. Office of Archaeological Studies Archaeology Notes 229, Museum of New Mexico, Santa Fe.

Wood, J. Scott
1987 Checklist of Pottery Types for the Tonto National Forest: An Introduction to the Archaeological Ceramics of Central Arizona. The Arizona Archaeologist No. 21. The Arizona Archaeological Society, Phoenix.

Related Photos

Gila (Cliff) Plain Smudged bowl

Gila (Cliff) Plain Smudged bowl

Gila Smudged bowl

Gila (Cliff) Plain Smudged jar

Gila (Cliff) Plain Smudged jar