Ceramics Project Proposal:

A Comparison of Ceramic Types from Montserrat

Date of Submission: March 5, 2010

Kristie Chin

Katherine Harrington

Peter Johnson


Table of Contents

I. Historical and Archaeological Context 3

II. Research Questions 4

III. Sample Selection 5

IV. Techniques to Be Applied 6

V. Research Schedule 7

VI. Bibliography 7

I. Historical and Archaeological Context

Montserrat is a small island in the Lesser Antilles, approximately 30 miles from Antigua. Like many islands in this area, Montserrat is volcanic, and it gained notoriety in the late 20th Century when the dormant Soufriere Hills volcano became suddenly active on July 18, 1995. Many residents have been forced to evacuate and roughly half of the island is now uninhabitable (Ryzewski et al. 2010: 3). The volcano remains active to this day, which lends archaeological investigation on Montserrat a certain urgency; Trants, one of the earliest known Saladoid sites in the Caribbean and thus a key to understanding the spread of the “Saladoid phenomenon,” was destroyed by pyroclastic flow in February 2010 (Ryzewski et al. 2010: 6). Our project will examine a ceramic assemblage from a recently discovered prehistoric site on Montserrat, at Valentine Ghaut.

The term Saladoid refers to a group of people thought to have migrated into the Lesser Antilles from northern South America in the last centuries B.C.E. The precise mechanism of this migration is not well understood at this time, but it seems likely that migration was gradual and intermittent (Haag: 242; Wilson 2007: 59-60, 70). Though most previous archaeological work has focused primarily on middens, the few Saladoid towns excavated indicate that Saladoid people lived in small villages comprised of circular huts (Wilson 2007: 88-89). They cultivated manioc and other plants, and hunted and fished (Wilson 2007: 86-87). Typically, archaeologists recognize the presence of Saladoid people by one of two distinctive ceramic decorative styles: white paint on red slip (WOR) or zone-incised-crosshatched (ZIC). Burnished and slipped pottery is also common, as are undecorated vessels. Open bowls and griddles frequently occur (Petersen and Watters 1995: 135; Wilson 2007: 67).

Our assemblage does not contain any examples of WOR or ZIC, and instead consists of griddle fragments, undecorated plain ware sherds, and fragments of slipped and burnished bowls. These sherds (along with lithic, shell, and bone materials) were collected at Valentine Ghaut during the January 2010 field season of the Survey and Landscape Archaeology of Montserrat Project (SLAM), led by Krysta Ryzewski and John Cherry of Brown University. A total of 76 sherds were collected from the surface of Feature 11, a midden pit which appears to be approximately 80 cm deep (Ryzewski et al. 2010: 26). Although it is difficult to date the deposit without further archaeological investigation, the material likely dates to the late Saladoid horizon (John Cherry, personal communication, March 8, 2010). The further investigation of the site, and the tests conducted in this project, are of particular importance since Valentine Ghaut is currently the only known prehistoric site on the island of Montserrat not destroyed by volcanic activity or development (Ryzewski et al. 2010: 27).

II. Research Questions

We will be contrasting different samples with one another and observing the similarities or differences across various types. In particular, we would like to determine if there is a correlation between fabric, surface treatment, and function. By carrying out technical analyses, we hope to determine the chemical composition of the samples, the nature of the inclusions, and what temperatures were required to fire the materials. This scientific information will hopefully help us to answer questions about production processes, firing conditions, and, potentially, vessel use and trade patterns. By analyzing the various surface treatments, we hope to learn how and why items were burnished, slipped, or left undecorated. Did these treatments serve decorative, spiritual, or practical purposes? Ultimately we hope to determine the physical characteristics and properties of the ceramic materials in order to understand their social implications, possibly fitting them into existing typologies or revealing new aspects of Saladoid culture on Montserrat. Specific questions we would like to address include: How can we create a typology for our assemblage and how does our assemblage fit into existing typologies? What is the nature of the inclusions? Can we tell anything about the provenance of the clays or tempers? How were the vessels manufactured? What were the firing temperatures and mechanisms? What was the function of the vessels? Were they traded? Imported or exported? Can we say anything about who would have used these vessels?

III. Sample Selection

The assemblage under study consists of approximately 50 sherds collected from the surface of a midden deposit at Valentine Ghaut in January 2010. The midden itself appeared to be roughly 70 cm deep and remains unexcavated at this time. The sherds date to the Saladoid Period, which ranges from approximately 500 B.C. to 500 A.D. We divided them into four subgroups based upon fabric type, surface decoration, and, when possible, function. Diagnostic pieces, consisting of large pieces of rims or bases and identifiable griddle fragments, were separated. We found a few pieces that were more refined than the others, lighter in color, and thinner. We felt that it was necessary to examine these pieces more closely to better understand what made them so rare. The two remaining groups composed the majority of the sherds: coarse wares with many sandy inclusions, and red, burnished and/or slipped wares. One sample was selected from each of the categories. Sample 1 is a small fragment of a griddle with a series of incisions on one surface. Sample 2 is an undecorated sherd with fairly thin walls and contains fewer inclusions than sample 3; only a few examples of this type exist in the assemblage. Sample 3 is a small, undecorated rim sherd with a very coarse, sandy fabric. Finally, sample 4 has a slipped and burnished area as well as an undecorated area. These samples should provide sufficient information about each of their respective categories as well as adequately contrast one another. Understanding the physical properties of each of these four samples will hopefully help us to better understand their social implications and the role they play in answering our research questions.

III.Techniques to Be Applied

Taking an approach similar to Hofman et al. 2008, we will be applying a combination of a range of traditional and scientific techniques to our samples. We will attempt to classify each sherd in the assemblage according to established typologies for Caribbean ceramics and will perform more intensive testing on the four samples described above. We will conduct XRF analysis on each sample prior to cutting for further testing. XRF will allow us to measure the elemental composition of the sherds in a semi-quantitative manner. We will take readings on several locations on each sherd so that we can compare the results. After we conduct the XRF analysis, we will cut three smaller subsamples from each sherd, then mount and prepare the subsamples for XRD, SEM-EDS, and thin-section petrography. XRD will allow us to determine the crystalline structure, and therefore phases, present in the samples, which will give us information about firing temperature. With SEM-EDS we will study microstructure for further evidence of raw material properties and production techniques. With petrography and optical microscopy, we will examine the inclusions and temper material of each sample. This combination of scientific techniques will help us to study fabric, surface treatment, cracking, grain structure, presence of organic material, and crystalline structure, which will in turn hopefully deepen our understanding of the cultures involved with the ceramics.

V. Research Schedule

Week of / Research Activity
March 1 / Issue Project Proposal
March 8 / XRF
March 15 / Prepare for Presentation
March 22 / Issue Midterm Presentation
March 29 / Petrography
April 5 / SEM
April 12 / XRD
April 19 / Prepare Poster and Begin Writing Report
April 26 / Continue and Finalize Poster and Report
May 3 / Issue Final Report

VI.  Bibliography

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2008 Compositional Studies of Caribbean Ceramics: An Introduction to Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis. Journal of Caribbean Archaeology, Special Publication #2: 1-14.

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