Belle Glade Plain Pottery

Belle Glade Plain is a plain, often slightly gritty pottery associated with the Belle Glade culture of south-central Florida. Vessels are usually thick-walled jars and bowls with simple rims and little to no decoration; surfaces may be only roughly smoothed. Colors range from tan to dark gray or brown, often with patchy firing.

Typical vessels range from about 140 to 280 mm in rim diameter and 150 to 300 mm in height, with wall thickness frequently 7 to 12 mm. Larger storage jars may exceed these dimensions.

Concentrated around Lake Okeechobee and into the Everglades and Kissimmee River basin, with some spread to adjacent parts of the Florida peninsula.

Belle Glade Plain is strongly tied to wetland mound and earthwork complexes, and serves as a key type for reconstructing Belle Glade chronology and exchange with neighboring Glades and Mississippian groups.