Hopewell pottery

200 BCE to 400 CE)[1] and are found as artifacts in archeological sites in the American Midwest and Southeast.

[2] This pottery was used in a variety of ways: from storage and cooking to holding offerings during burial ceremonies.

After making the initial form of the vessel a paddle and anvil would then be used to further shape and smooth the pot.

Before firing, Hopewell pottery was often incised, stamped, or zone-stamped, in which different "zones" of the pot were delineating by incised, then stamped, leaving the surrounding areas smooth for contrast.

[4] "Hopewell ware" is characterized by crosshatching, bands with cambered rims, and highly stylized bird motifs.

Hopewell pot with bird design at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park museum
Hopewell jar from Hopewell Culture National Historical Park. Dated to ca. 1-350 CE, it may have been imported from the southern Appalachian or Gulf Coastal Plain area.