Jar · Middle Woodland
Woodland cordmarked jar
500 BCE–1000 CE, Woodland (Eastern)
The cordmarked jar is the basic Woodland cooking pot of the Eastern Woodlands, about 500 BCE to 1,000 CE, with a conoidal or subconoidal base and cord-wrapped paddle impressions over the exterior. It is grit- or grog-tempered and found on virtually every Woodland site. Complete vessels are scarce.
| Object | Jar |
|---|---|
| Dates | 500 BCE–1000 CE |
| Period | Middle Woodland |
| Cultures | Woodland (Eastern) |
| Regions | North America — Eastern Woodlands |
Diagnostic traits
Conoidal or subconoidal grit- or grog-tempered jar with cord-wrapped paddle impressions over the exterior.
Identification
Cordmarking runs over the body from a paddle wrapped in twisted cord, unlike the plain or incised surfaces of Mississippian jars and the fabric impressions of Early Woodland Fayette Thick; temper is grit, limestone or grog, not shell. Bases are pointed or rounded. Rims may be decorated with cord-wrapped stick impressions.
Reproductions and fakes
Rarely faked outright but reconstructed from mixed sherds with modern fill; genuine vessels show soot and interior carbon. Sherds are sometimes sold with invented site names.
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Woodland cordmarked jar" (Artifact type). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/types/woodland-cordmarked-jar. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-woodland-cordmarked-jar,
title = {Woodland cordmarked jar},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/types/woodland-cordmarked-jar}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type 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.