Material · ceramic
Grog-tempered earthenware
North America — Eastern Woodlands, North America — Southeast, North America — Great Plains
Grog-tempered earthenware uses crushed fired sherds as temper and is characteristic of Woodland pottery across the Southeast and of Caddo and Plains Village wares. Baytown Plain of the Lower Mississippi Valley is the archetype. It is thicker and softer than shell-tempered ware.
| Kind | ceramic |
|---|---|
| Regions | North America — Eastern Woodlands, North America — Southeast, North America — Great Plains |
Sources
Grog was made by crushing old pots, so it occurs wherever pottery was made; the Lower Mississippi, Caddo and Plains Village areas are the main users. Grog reduces shrinkage during drying and firing, which is why it was favoured for thick-walled pots.
Identification
The paste shows angular, dull fragments of fired clay in a contrasting colour, unlike the platy shell or sharp grit of other tempers; surfaces are cordmarked, plain, incised or engraved. Caddo grog-tempered bottles are thin and burnished. Firing is low.
Substitutes and fakes
Rarely faked outright; the issue is reconstruction and misattribution. Caddo reproductions are the exception and lack wear and pigment residue.
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Grog-tempered earthenware" (Material). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/materials/grog-tempered-earthenware. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-grog-tempered-earthenware,
title = {Grog-tempered earthenware},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/materials/grog-tempered-earthenware}},
year = {2026},
note = {Material article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, commons. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.