Pre-Colombian Jamaica: Caribbean Archeology and Ethnohistory

Principal Excavated Sites in Jamaica / 153
construction of the Harbour View housing estate (Lechler 1972). Lechler’s collection
of artifacts from the site (not Fort Nugent itself ) was studied by V. Wallace
and published as coming from Harbour View (1992). According to her (internally
inconsistent) figures the ceramic collection consisted of 365 potsherds,
one complete vessel, and two figurines. In addition there were 27 chert artifacts,
and 10 others (eight limestone and two sandstone; identifications by S.
Donovan) including grinding stones and net sinkers.
An excavation took place over five days in 1991, “in the immediate vicinity”
of the Martello Tower, with a crew of 12 students, directed by Basil
Reid (1991). The crew laid out 2 x 2 m squares, but it is not known what the
results of the excavation were.
References: AJ 1965, 4:1; 1965, 10:1; 1974, 3:5; 1974, 4:4; 1984, 4:41;
Buisseret 1967a, 1968a; Cundall 1915:215; 1939:18; Howard 1950:79; Lechler
1972; Lewis 1960; Reid 1991; Wallace 1992.
Tower Hill (K7)
First located by J. S. Tyndale- Biscoe. Mapped by Lee in 1966. His sketch plan
includes a note stating that at that time the visible deposits were from 2 to 5 ft
deep. Reported by Vanderwal to be 3 1/2 acres in size “with several small middens.”
The Hope River “could have been used as a relatively easy access corridor
to the sea.”
Excavated by R. P. and A. K. Bullen in 1961. A test trench was dug on the
eastern slope where the cultural deposit was 18 in thick. A hearth 3 ft across was
located at a depth of 1 ft. Five hundred sixteen potsherds were listed, including
five “boat ends,” one neck of a water bottle, and 21 fragments of griddles. According
to C. B. Lewis, R. R. Howard, and R. Vanderwal, the ceramic specimens
differed “in no significant way from those at White Marl.” Nonetheless,
R. P. and A. K. Bullen considered that the pottery could be divided into two
main series or styles. One was termed Meillacan (after the site of that name
in Haiti), whereas the other was compared to Santa Elena (in Puerto Rico).
Lithic artifacts included hammerstones and sandstone sharpening stones as
well as polished celts and chert flakes. The sharpening stones were said to have
“multiple wide but shallow sharpening grooves on both upper and lower surfaces.”
On the basis of the incomplete list provided, the shells included Strombus
pugilis, Fasciolaria tulipa, Murex, Vasum muricatum, and Arca. According to
E. S. Wing, the vertebrate fauna included hutía, birds (heron: Ardeidae; purple
gallinule: Porphyrula martinica), sea turtles (Cheloniidae), sharks (Lamnoidei
[Lamnidae], Scyliorhinoidei [Scyliorhinidae]), and fish (Nassau grouper: Epi-