Marsh Point
This motif is composed of a relatively simple, single design element. It consists of a series of narrow, parallel lines incised either in a continuous diagonal band around the upper part of the vessel’s exterior, or in a series of distinct diagonal sets separated by undecorated areas, also around the upper part of the vessel’s exterior. In the future, with more specimens available for study, it may be possible to separate these two patterns into different motifs. For now, they are simply listed as “Marsh Point.” Generally, the lines of “Marsh Point” were more carefully incised than those of the “Grassy Point" motif, apparently at a time when the clay had reached a leather-hard state. As with “Grassy Point,” the “Marsh Point" motif begins directly below the lip and extends down the neck of the vessel from that point.
Unlike “Grassy Point,” the “Marsh Point" motif appears to be less closely tied to motifs in the Galveston Bay area. Although a few similar designs have been illustrated for San Jacinto and Goose Creek Incised, sherds of these types more commonly exhibit vertical, rather than diagonal, incised lines. Diagonal incised lines actually are more common in sherds of Mazique Incised, especially the Manchac variety, from coastal Louisiana and the Lower Mississippi Valley. Interestingly, no examples of “Marsh Point” are illustrated in any of the previous studies covering the coastal bend area, although it is likely that at least a few specimens occur at scattered sites in the northern part of the region.