Middle Mississippian pottery as found at Aztalan and Cahokia, Illinois is quite
varied in form and decoration. The skilled potters were usually women, who
turned out two general classes of pottery: shell tempered and grit tempered.
95% of their pottery could be used for any purpose. one class of pottery had a
plain, smooth surface and globular shape. Mussel shells were ground up and
mixed with the clay for the tempering process. By adding the shells to the clay it
prevented shrinkage and kept the pots from exploding during the firing process.
Most of the people who created middle Mississippian pottery were women who were quite skilled.
There were two main types of pottery. Shell tempered pottery used mussel shells to help in the firing
process and keep the pots from shrinking. (Neafe)
Whateve else about pottery.
Works Cited
Neafe, James. Pottery Making. July 1997. 4 February 2009
<http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/whitehorse/ss/potmake.htm>.