Crossing the Borders: New Methods and Techniques in the Study of Archaeological Materials from the Caribbean

28 / Hofman, Isendoorn, Booden, and Jacobs
Figure 2.4. Cross sections of four sherds from Saba (Kelbey’s Ridge 2, The Bottom, and
Spring Bay 3). Two decorated sherds from Spring Bay 3 and Kelbey’s Ridge 2.
contrast to the clays from Saba. This fabric appeared to have a fabric very similar
to one of the clays from a neighboring limestone island, possibly Anguilla, Long Island,
or the northern region of Antigua.
Another example is a sherd from Kelbey’s Ridge 2 (KR-262), which shows stylistic
affiliations with the Chican pottery from Hispaniola. The sherd shows a nonlocal
fabric, however, not typical of limestone islands either. It is most likely a
sedimentary clay from one of the larger islands. Similar observations were made
for a Mamoran sherd from Spring Bay 3 (SB-261). The sherd has a decoration of
notched fillets, typical of Ostionan ceramics.
Geochemical Analysis
A total of 37 sherds have been selected at random from the bulk sample of the
various Saban assemblages and were analyzed using XRF and subsequently compared
to clay samples from Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Martin, and Anguilla. Major elements
and trace elements in both clays and potsherds were examined (Figure 2.5
and Table 2.1).
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