Curriculum Materials: Art in America
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Image 1 Caddo Questions: |
Agriculture and the Development of Pottery
The cultivation of corn and other crops made possible the formation of densely populated communities with complex political and social organizations and extensive trade networks. Once people started farming, they needed containers to protect their stored crops - corn, beans, and squash - from rodents and insects. They also needed containers for food preparation and serving. Out of these needs arose pottery production.
Native potters made vessels in a variety of shapes and
sizes. Excavations of some of the mounds in the Mississippi
valley have uncovered many beautiful and useful objects.
Sites in and around modern-day Arkansas have yielded elegant
pottery, such as this ceramic bowl, made by the
Caddo people. Knowledge of other
ancient American cultures leads scholars to believe that
women made these ceramics.
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