Directions
Two sites have been located and excavated on an island in the Lesser Antilles called ‘St. Pato Real’ (see map). Below you will find key information about the geography of the region, the sites, and what was found. Study the data and try to figure out as much as you can about the history of the region and the changes in material culture, subsistence and cultural lifeways. Use all of your readings and lectures notes for reference. Then write a 4-5 page essay that interprets the evidence (referring specifically to your readings) and answer the questions below.
You must use the following format:
- 4-5 double-spaced pages
- 12 pt. Times New Roman font
- 1″ margins throughout
- pages numbered
Here are your questions:
- Describe the main changes in prehistoric artifact assemblages in the region. Can you divide the sequence into important phases of culture history? Describe the basis for your classification scheme and how the excavated levels from the different sites can fit into your sequence. (For example, would you classify any of the occupation layers as “Saladoid” based on artifact or other comparisons with other archaeological sites described in your readings?)
- What are the main changes you find evidence for in subsistence patterns in the region (e.g. evidence for seasonal foraging patterns)? Can you suggest any potential biases in the types of data available that limits your ability to interpret the evidence? Can you suggest reasons for some of the changes (e.g. environmental reasons, social reasons)? What relationships do you see between changes in the subsistence and technology or other forms of material culture?
- What does the evidence suggest about the types of activities that occurred at each site during different time periods? Is there any evidence for changes in the settlement system through time? For example, focus on the time periods when more than one site is occupied, and look for evidence that would suggest socio-economic relationships between the sites in that region, or elsewhere (e.g. evidence for seasonal patterns of site occupation or mobility? evidence for economic networks or trade links?).
Sites
Site A: “Smuggler’s Cove” is an open-air coastal site that contained several meters of layered deposits.
Site B: “Spring Meadow Rockshelter” is a small interior rockshelter with several thin layers of cultural deposits and hearths.
Geography
The map shows the island of St. Pato Real which is 12 x 6 miles in area. A small river runs down between two ranges of hills and forms a delta on the coast. Although most of the area is deforested today, under natural vegetation and current climate, the limestone hills would have been covered in various shrubs and grasses with denser tree growth in sheltered valleys. Stands of grasses would have occurred in patches in the woodlands and open slopes. The coastal plains would have been covered in shorter grasses. Evidence for ancient vegetation in the region comes from a sediment core taken from a small lake in the inland hills. A diagram of the changing pollen types recovered from this core demonstrates interesting changes during the last 4,000 years.
Climate and Fauna
The region has a very tropical climate characterized by a wetter period from July to September and drier periods from October to May. In the summer season migrant water birds such as the tree duck (Dendrocygna sp.) and the great black-backed gull (Larus marinus) frequent the lagoons and marshes along the coast. Some fruits and berries can be found along the coastal and riverine margins where rice rats (Tribe Oryzomyini) like to congregate. Hutias (Mesocapromys auritus) are also occasionally found in the mangrove forests that proliferate around the small delta. Shellfish and chitons are normally abundant in rocky tidepools. Numerous species of reef fish can be procured along the coast with flying fish (Hirundichthys sp.) and various pelagic species available periodically throughout the year (e.g., mackerel – Auxis sp.; tuna – Thunnus spp.; little tunny – Euthynnus spp.). A few species of land crabs (Cardisoma guanhumi) and sea crabs are present throughout the year as well as the occasional whale and sea turtles (e.g., Atlantic Green Turtle – Chelonia mydus).
Vegetation
The vegetation consists primarily of palms (Palmae) and Hippomane mancinella (manchineel; a tree with poisonous oil and fruit), along the coast. Farther inland the indigenous forests were interspersed with Annona squamosa (sweetsop or sugar apple), Hymenaea courbaril (a resinous tree; i.e., copal resin good for varnishing, waterproofing boats, and incense), Sponias mombin (hog plum; a tree with delicious fruits), Acrocomia aculeate (palm fruit), mahogany, and Argemone sp. (Mexican poppy – a common weed of disturbed habitats), and many other smaller trees and shrubs (see pollen analysis diagram).
Natural Resources
Raw materials local to the area include clays, limestone outcrops, shell, sandstone, and nodules of chert. Fresh drinking water would have been available seasonally in the streams draining the hills and from natural springs that well up at the lowland margins of the hills where they intersect the smaller, isolated plains. Archaeological survey found two sites which have been partially excavated: