Ceramics Project Proposal:
A Comparison of Ceramic
Types from Montserrat
Date of Submission: March 5, 2010
Kristie Chin
Katherine Harrington
Peter Johnson
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Table of Contents
I.
Historical and Archaeological Context
II.
Research Questions
III.
Sample Selection
IV.
Techniques to Be Applied
V.
VI.
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5
Research Schedule
Bibliography
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6
7
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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 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).
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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
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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
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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
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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
March 1
March 8
March 15
March 22
March 29
April 5
April 12
April 19
April 26
May 3
VI.
Research Activity
Issue Project Proposal
XRF
Prepare for Presentation
Issue Midterm Presentation
Petrography
SEM
XRD
Prepare Poster and Begin Writing Report
Continue and Finalize Poster and Report
Issue Final Report
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