Chapin B/W (AD 575-800)

The following are some representative examples of Chapin B/W sherds:

           

       

(Click on image to enlarge.)
Type Ceramics Provenience Info

Type sites:  
Mesa Verde N. P.: Site 101, Deep Pithouse; Site 117, Pithouse B; Site 283, Pithouse C; Site 118, Pithouse A; Site 145. La Plata District B III sites. Alkali Ridge. Mancos Canyon. (Breternitz et al 1974:26).
Dating:
Basketmaker III – Pueblo I. AD 575 – 800. 
     AD 575 – 800 (some found to 900) (Varien, 1999: Appendix A(1)).
      B III contexts AD 575 thru early 700s,
      P I contexts thru AD 800 and (rarely) to 900,
           – during 800s Chapin and Piedra characteristics are mixed (Wilson and Blinman 1995:46).
      B III, AD 600-750 (Lucius and Breternitz 1992:17).
      B III – PI (Hayes and Lancaster 1975:111).
      AD 500 – 850 (Abel 1955, cited in Cattenach 1980:210).
      AD 600 – 750 in La Plata pithouses (Hayes and Lancaster:114).
Texture:
Medium to coarse (Breternitz et al:25).
Fine-textured bowl interiors (Cattenach:211).
Temper:
Crushed igneous rock, coarse to very coarse (Cattenach: 211).
Crushed igneous or metamorphic, some with fine sand (Hayes and Lancaster: 112).
Crushed igneous, andesite or diorite (Shepard 1939, O’Bryan 1950, in Breternitz et al:25).
Crushed igneous (Breternitz et al:25); most common (Varien:Appendix A(1)).
Slip:
None (Cattenach:211; Hayes and Lancaster:112; Breternitz et al:25). 
Very rare (Varien:Appendix A(1)). 
Paint:
Mineral, organic (44%), or mixture (Hayes and Lancaster:112).
Mineral, some carbon (Cattenach:210; Varien:Appendix A(1)).
Fugitive red occurs (Varien: Appendix A(1)); on 11% (Hayes and Lancaster:114);
     frequent on bowl exteriors (Wilson and Blinman:46).
Paint on bowls only (Hayes and Lancaster:112). 
Mineral paint often fired brown or red; showed green-black glaze in 15% 
     (Hayes and Lancaster:112, Breternitz et al:25).
Polish:
At Puzzle House, none. 
Not usually (Breternitz et al:25).
None or light (Varien:Appendix A(1)).
Spotty, seldom. Low ‘polish’ from rubbing and wiping on 1/3 of interiors and 1/5 of 
     exteriors; the rest, matte (Cattenach:211).
Light (Hayes and Lancaster:112).

Despite the lack of slip and conventional polish, Chapin finish should not be under-rated. Bowl surfaces at FLC range from fairly rough to flawlessly smooth. One sherd (from Site 5MT4251) has a self-slipped, uniform, matte surface, perfectly smooth to the touch. There is no gleam or streaking.
Rims:
Usually plain. Sometimes solid painted line. Tip very tapered to rounded (Breternitz et al:25).
Solid paint 59% at Badger House (Hayes and Lancaster:112).
Shape:
Bowl is primary shape, walls range from steep to hemispherical (Hayes and Lancaster:113-115;   
     Wilson and Blinman:46). 
Basket-impressed ware occurs (Hayes and Lancaster:112).
Design:
Common elements:
     -Small elements, often dots, between parallel lines 
     -Ticked, T-ticked, or flagged lines
     -Lines or large design elements, radiating from bowl center
     -Design element or circle in bowl center
     -Two, three, or four floating, simple design units, sometimes connected,
          usually closing matching 
     -Repeated tiny, z-like squiggles, closely stacked, often in parallel lines – 
          suggestive of basketry or weaving stitch

Given a sufficiently large sherd, design placement is more telling than actual designs, which exhibit considerable variety and overlap with Piedra. Six classic Chapin whole vessels are shown in: (Lucius and Breternitz:18). Examples from Badger House (Hayes and Lancaster:115) show:
     -Large motifs floating below the rim – including a thunderbird-/kachina-like figure 
          and an elaborated, equal-legged cross
     -Feathered lines, forming a triangle with a feathered portion of rim – repeated 
          in each quarter
     -Large-feathered, lightning-like zigzags bisecting a bowl
     -Wide bands of slim parallel lines crossing a bowl at right angles
     -Double lines of the stitch-motif quartering a bowl 

[ Notes on Chapin B/w I Return to Ceramic Types Home ]