The approach taken here was relatively simplistic compared to David Anderson's efforts in 1996. He plotted a number of variables including type, decoration and temper groups. He was able to do this consistently because he did the analysis himself and could thus control the variables. This could not be done with any consistency through reading reports, because, as stated elsewhere,the definitions researchers use vary. So on the attached maps the people making the reports are taken at their word, and the types or ware groups are plotted by name only.
This information was gathered from several sources. First, David Anderson donated his 1976 data. As a graduate student Sean Taylor did an internship at Fort Jackson and compiled a database of pottery found on the many surveys conducted there, which is why there is a big cluster of virtually every type dead in the center of the state. Ken Sassaman and Chris Judge donated their radiocarbon databases, which also contributed site locations. Finally, numerous CRM survey reports were reviewed and mined for raw data.
The results are a little misleading, and sometimes surprising. For instance, it appears that most of the pottery found in the state is from sites within about 20 miles of the coast. This is because most available data was generated by CRM projects spurred by development.
Other interesting maps include those for the distribution of Hanover and Wilmington. Nearly all of the former is north of Charleston, and nearly all of the latter is south of Charleston. This may reflect typological ambiguity as the difference between what is called Hanover and what is called Wilmington is unclear and may reflect the set of references researchers in a particular area use more than valid physical differences. In a similar vein, nearly all "Pee Dee' pottery is north of Charleston and other "Chicora Ware" variants fall to the South mostly.
The Early Period wares - Thoms Creek, Stallings and "Refuge" - all seem to co-occur spatially, and dates for the types overlap considerably. For example, most "Refuge" dates range between 864 and 1194BC, Thoms Creek ranges from 1100-2400BC, and Stallings from about 1500-2900BC. This suggests that either the same cultural groups were making all three wares, or there was considerable interaction between groups.
Pottery called "Yadkin" tends to be found north of the Santee, while "Cape Fear" extends further south. The more general grouping of lithic tempered textile marked wares, which includes types like Connestee and Swannannoa, shows these occuring all across the state.
To summarize, preliminary distribution maps have been produced, but they suffer somewhat from the ambiguity of the pottery type definitions used by the many researchers who have worked in the state, and their application. This is not a problem with an easy solution as, realistically, years of research by a single person or group of people using the same criteria and definitions would be necessary to accurately or at least, consistently complete the task.