You are here
Archaeological Investigations on Cat Island, Bahamas
| Title: | Archaeological Investigations on Cat Island, Bahamas. |
 174 views 23 downloads |
|---|---|---|
| Name(s): |
MacLaury, James C. Sears, William H., Thesis advisor Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters Department of Anthropology |
|
| Type of Resource: | text | |
| Genre: | Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation | |
| Date Created: | 1968 | |
| Date Issued: | 1968 | |
| Publisher: | Florida Atlantic University | |
| Place of Publication: | Boca Raton, Fla. | |
| Physical Form: | application/pdf | |
| Extent: | 67 p. | |
| Language(s): | English | |
| Summary: | In 1966 and 1967 Cat Island, Bahamas was surveyed by field parties from Florida Atlantic University in an attempt to locate archaeological sites. A total of 19 sites were found, all but one were coastal shell middens near tidal deltas or bays. Most of the sites were on the leeward side of the island where ecological conditions for supporting large quantities of shellfish were best. In March, 1968, five of the sites located in the survey were sampled by means of small test pits. The artifact assemblage consisted of over 6000 potsherds and a handful of shell and stone implements. Over 99% of the ceramic assemblage consisted of a thick, red, shell-tempered ware similar to that found in recent excavations on San Salvador by Hoffman (1967). The overwhelming amount of the Cat Island shell-tempered ware is plain with a few decorated variants. A shell-tempered series was set up and called the Palmetto series with one type, Palmetto plain, and several decorated variants. Decorative modes consisted of applique, punctation, incision, and mat and grid impressions. The ceramic assemblage also included several residual categories which contained tempering materials not native to the Bahamas. The most prominent of these was a quartz-tempered ware that showed considerable similarity to the Carrier style of northern Haiti. The decorative modes of the Palmetto series showed affiliations with northern Haiti, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands during periods IIIb and IV of Rouse's (1964) time scale for the northern Caribbean. The time of occupation was roughly 1000-1500 A.D. The culture of the island was one of fairly permanent, small villages with subsistence based on the exploitation of the marine shellfish resources and manioc agriculture. Burial and other ceremonial practices are not known. | |
| Identifier: | FA00012592 (IID) | |
| Degree granted: | Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1968. | |
| Collection: | FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection | |
| Note(s): | Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters | |
| Subject(s): |
Excavations (Archaeology)--Bahamas--Cat Island Bahamas--Antiquities Cat Island (Bahamas)--Antiquities |
|
| Held by: | Florida Atlantic University Libraries | |
| Sublocation: | Digital Library | |
| Persistent Link to This Record: | http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00012592 | |
| Use and Reproduction: | Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder. | |
| Use and Reproduction: | http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ | |
| Host Institution: | FAU | |
| Is Part of Series: | Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections. |
