First posted by C. Dean Wilson 2012

Crumbled House Black-on-white was defined by Wilson and Peckham (1967). This type is assigned to trachyte tempered white wares exhibiting styles noted for Mesa Verde Black-on-white (Peckham 1989; Windes 1977). This type is generally is associated with assemblages dating to the late Pueblo III and may occur as early as the late twelfth century but is more commonly associated with late thirteenth century components. Pastes are light to dark gray and jar exteriors and brown interior and exteriors are covered with a white slip. Pigments are executed in a black organic paint. Bowl rims are thick, flat and are usually decorated with ticks, dots, or lines.

Designs are almost identical to that noted on Mesa Verde Black-on-white; although the overall execution tends to be slightly less precise. Two classes of designs can be defined including banded and all over. Banded designs are bracketed by framing lines both above and below, and large areas below the band, such as bowl bases, are left unpainted. Single framing lines are usually thick and, if more than one framing line is present the bottom ones tend to be thinner. Design elements include bands filled with straight hachure, triangles, stepped triangles, dots, diamonds, and ticked lines. All over designs often lack framing lines and elements are arranged so that the entire design field is covered. The design field is partitioned into two, three, or four fields, and each field is filled with similar arrangements of elements. Large curvilinear and rectilinear areas of hachure are more common in all over designs than in band designs. Exterior designs on bowls are common both as isolated elements and as bands. Vessel forms are dominated by bowls, but also include dippers, ollas, and mugs.

References:
Reed, Lori S., Joell Goff, Kathy Niles Hensler
1998 Exploring Ceramic Production, Distribution, and Exchange in the Southern Chuska Valley: Analytical Results from the El Paso Natural Gas North Expansion Project, Pipeline Archaeology 1990-1993: The El Paso Natural Gas System Expansion Project, New Mexico and Arizona, Vol XI, Book 1, Report no, WCRM (F)74, Farmington.

Wilson, John P., and Stewart Peckham
1964 Chuska Valley Ceramics. Manuscript on file, Laboratory of Anthropology, Museum of New Mexico, Santa Fe.

Windes, Thomas C.
1977 Typology and Technology of Anasazi Ceramics. In Settlement and Subsistence Along the Lower Chaco River, edited by C. Reher, pp 270-369. University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.

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Crumbled House Black-on-white bowl sherds

Crumbled House Black-on-white bowl sherds

Crumbled House Black-on-white bow (Interior Viewl

Crumbled House Black-on-white bowl (Side View)