Bottle · Mississippian
Caddo engraved bottle
1000–1700 CE, Caddo
The Caddo engraved bottle is the long-necked, burnished bottle of the Caddo area of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas, about 1,000 to 1,700 CE, engraved after firing with scrolls, spirals and ticked lines. It is the finest pottery of prehistoric North America and was placed in graves. Types such as Hodges, Friendship, Keno and Taylor Engraved define phases.
| Object | Bottle |
|---|---|
| Dates | 1000–1700 CE |
| Period | Mississippian |
| Cultures | Caddo |
| Regions | North America — Southeast |
Diagnostic traits
Long-necked bottle with a globular body, burnished surface and fine engraved scrolls or spirals, sometimes pigment-filled.
Identification
The engraving is cut into the burnished surface after firing and often filled with red or white pigment, unlike the incised (wet-clay) designs of Mississippian jars; bodies are globular with a tall narrow neck and temper is grog or bone, not shell. Bottles are thin and light. Surfaces are red, black or brown.
Reproductions and fakes
Caddo bottles are reproduced by modern potters and faked with engraved lines that are too even and show no pigment residue; genuine engraving is slightly ragged and worn. Extensive restoration is common on excavated examples and should be disclosed.
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Caddo engraved bottle" (Artifact type). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/types/caddo-engraved-bottle. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-caddo-engraved-bottle,
title = {Caddo engraved bottle},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/types/caddo-engraved-bottle}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum. 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.