2009 FROM SANTA ELENA TO ST. AUGUSTINE: INDIGENOUS CERAMIC VARIABILITY FROM SANTA ELENA TO ST. AUGUSTINE: INDIGENOUS CERAMIC VARIABILITY (A.D. 1400–1700) KATHLEEN DEAGAN AND DAVID HURST THOMAS Editors and contributors WITH CONTRIBUTIONS BY KEITH H. ASHLEY , CHESTER B. DEPRATTER , REBECCA SAUNDERS , GIFFORD J. WATERS , MAR K WILLIA M S , AND JOHN E. WORTH Proceedings of the Second Caldwell Conference St. Catherines Island, Georgia March 30–April 1, 2007 ANTHROPOLOGICAL PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Number 90, 229 pages, 77 figures, 42 tables Issued August 26, 2009 Copyright © American Museum of Natural History 2009 ISSN 0065-9452 2009 STRADDLING THE FLORIDA-GEORGIA STATE LINE: CERAMIC CHRONOLOGY 125 CHAPTER 5 STRADDLING THE FLORIDA-GEORGIA STATE LINE: CERAMIC CHRONOLOGY OF THE ST. MARYS REGION (A.D. 1400–1700) KEITH H. ASHLEY The Atlantic coastline of northeastern Florida and the broader St. Marys region from coastal and southeastern Georgia has long been perceived areas to the south at various times throughout as somewhat of an archaeological oddity from the native history. standpoint of ceramic chronology. Often labeled Northeastern Florida traditionally has been a frontier or transitional area, its unique native subsumed geographically within the boundaries history sometimes paralleled that of the St. Johns of the St. Johns or East and Central Florida region to the south, at other times resembled that region to the south. As such, pre-Columbian of the Georgia coast to the north, and at still other cultural developments were assumed to follow times had its own local developments (Russo, the same St. Johns I–II chronological sequence 1992). Although acknowledging the uniqueness (Goggin, 1952: 15; Milanich and Fairbanks, of the frontier area, archaeologists in the past 1980: 28–30). Recent research incorporating have attempted to impose chronologies and dates both new information and a reassessment of old from adjacent areas and make them square with data, however, has clearly demonstrated that this local archaeological data, which has proven to was not the case (Russo, 1992: Milanich, 1994: be quite frustrating. Over the past decade or so, 248–254). Because of its lack of chronological fit, a concerted effort has been made to establish a northeastern Florida was extracted from the St. ceramic chronology pertinent to coastal northern Johns region and combined with coastal Camden Florida and southern Georgia by focusing on County, Georgia, to form the St. Marys region survey and excavation data from a variety of sites in order “to promote research among areas of in both states. Florida and Georgia that are linked by a common The first step was the creation of the St. Marys cultural heritage” (Russo, 1992: 107). region, which combines portions of northeastern Current research has taken advantage of the Florida (Nassau, Duval, and northern St. Johns wealth of new data generated by CRM projects counties) and southeastern Georgia (Camden and drawn upon older investigations, although County). It encompasses the coastal mainland the latter in some cases have been reassessed and adjacent barrier island zone from the Satilla in a new light. Moreover, a growing number River, Georgia, south to below the St. Johns River, of radiometric dates are factoring prominently Florida, and includes the lower reaches of the St. into the new chronology. Of course, gaps in the Johns, Nassau, St. Marys, and Satilla river basins chronology exist and the exact transitional dates (fig. 5.1). The southern boundary of the St. Marys remain tentative for certain periods, but a solid region lies in northern St. Johns County where, temporal framework is forming. The objective prior to modern dredging and rechanneling, the is not to force all areas of the St. Marys region intracoastal waterway naturally petered out and into one master chronology, but to establish a was less navigable. In fact, this general vicinity baseline against which temporal and cultural likely created a natural boundary separating variation can be measured. In fact, though the cultural developments in northeastern Florida Atlantic coast of northern Florida and southern 126 ANTHROPOLOGICAL PAPERS AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY NO. 90 Fig. 5.1. St. Marys region, including select site locations. 2009 STRADDLING THE FLORIDA-GEORGIA STATE LINE: CERAMIC CHRONOLOGY 127 Georgia followed a broadly similar chronology, 1984a; DePratter, 1984; Braley, 1990: 94–95; current archaeological evidence points to fluid Saunders, 2000a: 39–45) and to the south where social boundaries and intraregional differences St. Johns series ceramics prevailed (Deagan, in the sequencing and timing of ceramic changes chap. 6, this volume; Milanich, 1994: 262–263). not isomorphic with the boundaries of the St. In previous centuries, cord-marked pottery was Marys region. What sets northeastern Florida made in abundance along the Atlantic coast from apart from the remainder of the St. Marys region northeastern Florida into South Carolina and up, is its geographic position, which provides direct to varying extents, all of the major rivers between and simultaneous links to both the Atlantic coast these points. But by the mid-13th century its and St. Johns heartland to the south via the St. production along the Atlantic coast—as the Johns River. Clearly, cultural identities and primary decorative ware—was restricted to the changes in the popularity of pottery styles were St. Marys region. While groups to the north at not precisely uniform throughout the boundaries this time appear to have adopted maize farming of the St. Marys region over the millennia prior to some degree, St. Marys societies continued to European contact. their devotion to a foraging way of life and to the For the period under consideration here (A.D. manufacture of cord-marked pottery. 1400–1700), however, the area followed the Focusing on calibrated radiometric dates from same ceramic chronology, although beginning secure contexts, it appears that the production of dates for the period appear to have been slightly St. Marys Cord Marked1 pottery in southeastern earlier to the north in southeastern Georgia. In Georgia began sometime prior to the 13th fact, linguistic and documentary data suggest century A.D., but pinpointing its first appearance that at the beginning of European contact, the has been marred by conflicting radiometric dates St. Marys region contained a series of culturally from less than secure contexts (Espenshade, similar and allied Timucua societies such as 1981; Adams, 1985; Saunders, 1989). I have Saturiwa, Tacatacuru, Yufera, and Cascangue- suggested elsewhere that the appearance of St. Icafui, who spoke the Mocama dialect of the Marys pottery on the Atlantic coast reflects the Timucua language (Swanton, 1922: 320–332; arrival of interior Ocmulgee III peoples from Deagan, 1978a; Granberry, 1993: 7; Hann, 1996: south-central Georgia via the Satilla River 10–12; Milanich, 1996: 47–56). By the early (Ashley, 2003: 361–368), but the following 17th century, three Spanish missions (San Juan review does not depend on an Ocmulgee coastal del Puerto, Santa Maria de Sena, San Pedro de migration scenario. In southeastern Georgia, Mocama) were established at preexisting villages the ca. A.D. 900–1100 represents a conspicuous in the St. Marys region (Worth, 1995b: 10–12; gap in our understanding of the region’s pre- Hann, 1996: 10; Milanich, 1996: 98, 1999: 47; Columbian history. Although a brief St. Johns Saunders, 2000; 1995b). By the 17th century, the II occupation may have transpired during that coastal mainland–barrier island province between time, as evidenced by St. Johns II ceramics and the St. Johns River, Florida, and the Altamaha features at the Kings Bay (9CM171b) and Davis River, Georgia, was known to the Spaniards Farm (9CM188) sites (R. Smith, 1982: 179–363, as Mocama (Worth, 1995b: 12; Hann, 1996: 1985: 53–138), the area may have been largely 18; Milanich, 1996: 98). The following draws unpopulated save for transient forays to the coast upon this research to forward a refined ceramic by hinterland groups. chronology of the St. Marys region (A.D. 1400– In northeastern Florida, the St. Marys II period 1700) and in the process explores select aspects is better dated and it supplanted the St. Johns II of the archaeological record. period there by the mid-13th century. At that time, sandy cord-marked pottery replaced assemblages ST. MARYS II PERIOD (ca. A.D. 1100–1450) previously dominated by chalky St. Johns Plain and Check Stamped wares. The shift in ceramic By A.D. 1400, the St. Marys region was technology was accompanied by distinct changes marked by the ubiquity of cord-marked pottery, in household disposal patterns and mortuary which distinguished it ceramically from the treatment, intimating the immigration of people contemporaneous northern Georgia coast where from outside the area (Saunders, 1989; Russo, Lamar-derived Irene wares dominated (Caldwell 1992; Ashley, 1995; Ashley and Rolland, 2002). and McCann, 1941; Larson, 1978, 1984; Crook, The clinal distribution of cord-marked–bearing 128 ANTHROPOLOGICAL PAPERS AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY NO. 90 sites across northeastern Florida, where more are occur less frequently and typically on vessels situated north of the St. Johns River than on the with coarser sand tempering. No specimens have river’s south side, points to a southward expansion been reported with rim folds or added appliqué of St. Marys groups from coastal southeastern strips, a characteristic of interior Ocmulgee Georgia, perhaps fueled by population increases Cord Marked pottery. However, some poorly and an out-migration of many St. Johns peoples finished lips exhibit clay extrusion along the in northeastern Florida (Saunders, 1989; Russo, exterior that occasionally bears resemblance 1992; Ashley and Rolland, 2002; Ashley, 2003). to a small, poorly formed fold. Vessels are typically dark in color, indicating reduced POTTERY AND OTHER MATERIAL CULTURE atmosphere firing. Burnished interior surfaces What is most striking about St. Marys II period have yet to be recorded.