Ceramic: McElmo Black-on-white, bird effigy vessel, AZRU1-897

McElmo Black-on-white, bird effigy vessel (seed jar shaped), Accession AZRU-00001 Catalog #897. Morris FS 5417. Analyzed by Lori Reed 2011. Temper not examined; not visible on surface. Vessel is 100% complete with about 40% reconstruction with unknown plaster material (all of base). Measurements: 5.4 cm orifice diameter, 5.5 cm height to rim, 7 cm height to head. Image AZRU1-897 A: side view showing shape of vessel and painted design. Image AZRU1-897 B: side view showing shape of vessel and painted design. Image AZRU1-897 C: front view showing head of bird. Image AZRU1-897 D: top view showing orifice and painted design. Image AZRU1-897 E: top view showing orifice. Image AZRU1-897 F: top view showing orifice. Recovered from Earl Morris excavation of Room 181, upper floor, Aztec West Ruin. Earl Morris’ description of Room 181 at the time of excavation is as follows. “….considerable deposit of refuse…[continuing] well above the level of the third story…[Of the items found in the refuse deposits in the room] only two of the specimens are of special interest. One is a bird effigy of which the head was not found, the only one of its kind the writer has observed among later wares. The other, is the top of another bird effigy with head, wings, and tail in relief, and a T-shaped hole in the back…In the debris above the refuse was charcoal from a burned ceiling, presumably the third.” (Morris 1928:373) Reference: Earl Morris, 1928, Notes on Excavations in the Aztec Ruin, Volume XXVI, Part V, Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History, New York.

该器物为麦克埃尔默白地黑彩陶（McElmo Black-on-white）鸟形仿生陶器（bird effigy vessel），造型仿籽罐形制。入藏编号AZRU-00001，登记号897，莫里斯田野编号FS 5417。2011年由洛里·里德（Lori Reed）完成分析。未对羼和料（temper）进行检测，其表面亦无可见羼和料痕迹。该陶器本体完整度达100%，其中约40%的部位（全部底座）使用未知石膏材料进行修复复原。尺寸参数：口径5.4厘米，沿口高度5.5厘米，头部高度7厘米。
图版AZRU1-897 A：侧视图，展示器物造型与彩绘纹饰；
图版AZRU1-897 B：侧视图，展示器物造型与彩绘纹饰；
图版AZRU1-897 C：正视图，展示鸟形头部；
图版AZRU1-897 D：俯视图，展示口径与彩绘纹饰；
图版AZRU1-897 E：俯视图，展示口径；
图版AZRU1-897 F：俯视图，展示口径。
该器物出土自阿兹特克西遗址（Aztec West Ruin）181号房间上层，由厄尔·莫里斯（Earl Morris）主持发掘。厄尔·莫里斯在发掘期间对181号房间的描述如下：“……堆积有大量废弃物……[堆积层]显著高于第三层位的标高……[在该房间废弃物堆积中出土的器物]仅有两件标本具有特殊研究价值。其一为一件缺失头部的鸟形仿生器，为笔者在晚期陶器中所见同类器物中的孤例。其二为另一件鸟形仿生器的上部残件，带有浮雕式的头部、双翼与尾部，背部带有T形孔洞……在废弃物堆积上方的碎屑层中发现了来自烧毁顶棚的木炭遗存，推测属于第三层位。”（莫里斯，1928：373）
参考文献：厄尔·莫里斯，1928年，《阿兹特克遗址发掘笔记》，第26卷第5分册，美国自然历史博物馆人类学论文集，纽约。