Dr. Judith Bense

Fuller uses the classic culture-history approach combining ceramic analysis, surface collections, stratigraphy, radiocarbon dating, and comparison to build a chronology and historical narrative of Bottle Creek and its connections to other areas. By using the concepts of ceramic and style "sets" and style series, he builds a case for interpreting Bottle Creek as a classic example of site-unit intrusion about 1250 CE by a group of people from Moundville, 162 miles upstream.

Pottery is arguably one of the most important artifact types in archaeology. In his new book, Kenneth Sassaman presents a superb analysis of the technological development of early pottery in the Southeast and a fresh interpretation of its discontinuous diffusion in the region. This publication is based on his 1991 dissertation, and it is well researched and thought out. Most eastern North American prehistoric archaeologists know about the early pottery developed during the Late Archaic period between 4000 and 5000 B.P. in the Southeast. But until now, there has not been a detailed regional synthesis and interpretation of this phenomenon. As a southeastern archaeologist, I think this study is long overdue.