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Ceramic Field Identification Manual Agua Fria National Monument Project

Homol'ovi Black-on-red

BACKGROUND | CHRONOLOGY

PERIOD: Pueblo IV

DATES: 1260-1350

Homol'ovi Black-on-red - DESCRIPTION

See Ware Description, except:

Temper: predominantly fine grain quartz sand with lesser amounts of fine angular fragments, mostly reddish, black, or dark gray; whitish fragments, infrequent.

Core: pinkish, occasionally gray.

Surface finish: both surfaces of bowl and jar exteriors well-polished, sometimes gritty and pitted, usually powdery, horizontal polishing marks noticeable; tiny light-colored flakes sometimes noticeable on surfaces; decorative surfaces compacted, possibly thinly slipped.

Surface color: dull red; pinkish shades predominant.

Decoration: painted.

Paint: black; sometimes polished after painted (weak and faint, "ghost pattern"); often rich but dull black.

Designs: on bowl interiors, rarely on exteriors.

Patterns: stripes, narrow and fine diagonal hatching in rectangular and stepped panels; wide staggered lines in series; occasionally opposed triangle-with-hooks in vertical bands; exterior jars similar.

Comparison: Undecorated sherds similar to Black Ax Plain but surfaces are more finely treated and sometimes of redder color.

Geographic Range: Petrified Forest National Parkand Little Colorado River Valley, Arizona.

Discussion/Comparison: Many of Colton's type sherds do appear to be thinly slipped, making it difficult to understand how Colton intended to distinguish the Black Ax and Chavez Pass series. For typing Homo'ovi sherds, Hays-Gilpin et al. considered slipped Winslow Orange Ware sherds to belong in the Chavez Pass Series. Few Black Ax sherds appeared at Homol'ovi and this series appears to be more frequent in the Petrified Forest area.