Hale’s Point four-handled pot in Holmes’s account

Overview

Holmes illustrates a large pot from Hale’s Point, Tennessee, as figure 404. He records a height of seventeen inches and greatest diameter of eighteen inches, with even walls of moderate thickness. The surface is dark and unpolished, visibly flecked with white shell fragments. Four broad, strong handles surround the neck, and encircling rows of fingernail indentations decorate the rim and neck. The complete engraving shows a rounded body, short neck and a missing section at the front rim. This visible damage belongs to the published example’s condition, distinct from the overall vessel form described in the text.

The pot appears within a comparison of vessels selected to represent a larger collection, rather than a catalogue of named makers. Holmes notes that handles can range from useful loops to ornamental remnants; the four substantial handles here are not replaced by the numerous small attachments of other examples. His general discussion links some pot-shaped vessels with traces of fire use, but does not record that observation for this particular pot. The study draws on collections assembled through nineteenth-century collecting and excavation, including burial contexts. Its typological comparisons and recorded locality do not by themselves establish this object’s maker community, precise date, contents or ceremonial role.

History & identity

William H. Holmes’s archaeological collection study in the Fourth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology.

Sources & representation

Complete introductory and general context, pot section and opening jar passage read; complete original linked figure inspected.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   Ancient Pottery of the Mississippi Valley

   William H. Holmes · 1886

   Fourth Annual Report,1882–83, printed title Washington: Government Printing Office,1886; contribution pp.361–436.

Language & cultural connections

Source-supported language and cultural connections have not yet been compiled for this profile.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. Historical archaeological collection accountSelected vessel and continuous contextual sectionsResearch access: 2026-10-18
2. Digitized original edition witnessOriginal bound report: title and contentsResearch access: 2026-10-18

Image credits

Generated material interpretation; not a photographed or authenticated archaeological specimen.