Pottery type
Snake Valley Black-on-Gray Pottery
Snake Valley Black-on-Gray700 – 1300 A.D.Fremont PotteryKey facts
- Age
- 700 – 1300 A.D.
- Cultural period
- Fremont Pottery
- Material
- Grit-tempered clay fired in a reducing atmosphere to achieve the distinctive gray paste and surface. Designs are painted using mineral-based black pigments before firing.
Description
Snake Valley Black on Grey is a Fremont painted ceramic type characterized by gray-fired vessels with black mineral-painted geometric designs. Motifs include parallel lines, stepped triangles, hatching, diagonal bands, and rectangular panels. Vessel forms are typically bowls and jars with straight or slightly flaring rims and rounded to slightly flattened bases.
Size
Bowls generally range from 14–28 cm in diameter; jars range from 18–32 cm in height. Wall thickness averages 5–9 mm.
Distribution
Found mainly in western Utah, eastern Nevada, and parts of southern Idaho associated with Fremont villages, storage features, and pithouses.
Additional information
Snake Valley Black on Grey is among the most diagnostic Fremont painted wares, often used to identify Fremont presence in the eastern Great Basin. It reflects a transition between local Great Basin utility pottery and the more elaborate Southwestern painted traditions.