Pre-Colombian Jamaica: Caribbean Archeology and Ethnohistory

156 / Appendix A.
tos. Excavated by C. W. Medhurst and H. Clarke in 1974–1975, and by C. W.
Medhurst and J. Wilman in 1976–1977. Mapped by Lee in 1972, but his
sketch plan is superseded by the plan of the area drawn up at the close of excavations
at the site. Prior to the first excavation, workmen digging a foundation
trench discovered a burial. The burial was extremely shallow, only 12 in from
the surface; the body was said to be “supine” but the legs were “flexed.” The remains
were examined by Kathleen Rodriques- Hastings, who determined that
this was probably an 18- year- old male. The front of the skull was not flattened
and the estimated height of this young adult was 5 ft 10 in; both these facts led
Medhurst to conclude that this may not have been an Arawak. However, parts
of a further skull were found a few inches away, and this was “markedly flattened
in the usual Indian fashion.” A chalcedony bead (apparently also of the
usual Indian type) was found by the neck of the main burial (AJ 1976, 4:Figure
9G). Prior to the second excavation, workmen digging foundations discovered
two “pot burials,” but they were removed before they could be examined. In
1986 it was reported that following further house building, the site had “for all
practical purposes ceased to exist.”
Excavations were conducted in two parts of the site, the northeast portion
in 1974–1975 and the southwest portion in 1976–1977 (Appendix 7). Excavation
proceeded by means of 5-ft squares, of which there were seven in the
northeast and 19 in the southwest, giving a total excavated area of 650 ft 2 . In
the northeast portion a definite stratigraphy was observed, with seven stratigraphic
layers, 2, 4, and 6 corresponding to cultural layers 1, 2, and 3. Cultural
layer 1 was thin and sparse, but cultural layers 2 and 3 were not. With
maximum thicknesses of 22 in and 11 in respectively they produced the bulk
of the material from the site (Appendix 8). These layers were separated from
one another by strata of “clean red earth.” No such stratigraphic division was
detected in the southwest portion of the site, which was dug to a maximum
depth of 30 in. Here, however, was found a circular arrangement of postholes
convincingly interpreted as a house foundation (Appendix 9). The postholes
were clearly visible in a layer of hardened earth at a depth of about 9 in. The
diameter of the circular house was about 15 ft. Because of the presence of a
number of potsherds with filleted rims, it was assumed that the house belonged
to a comparatively late stage of occupation.
The two areas together produced a substantial number of artifacts. Combined,
there were a total of 1,267 potsherds and 13 griddle fragments. The
great majority was red- brown (including one pot leg), but there were 12 buffyellow
sherds (indicative of water jars). Samples of both were tested by X- ray
diffraction, and Sedley Williams determined that there was little difference be-