Archaeology of Trants, Montserrat. Part 3. Chronological and settlement data

Abstract

Ongoing analyses of the prehistoric Amerindian Trants site in Montserrat include chronological and settlement data obtained from several episodes of field work. Artifact distributions suggest that Trants is larger than most other Saladoid period sites in the West Indies, The radiocarbon dates, artifacts, and stratigraphic associations further suggest that Trants was occupied earlier than many other Saladoid sites and over a long span, ca. 500 b.c.-a.d. 410, or later. Phosphate fractionation and other sediment data confirm the intensity and duration of occupation, and with artifact distributions discussed elsewhere suggest that the prehistoric settlement had a stable circular ring and plaza configuration. The implications of these data for research on the beginning and development of the Saladoid period in the West Indies and Lowland South America are discussed.

Archaeology of Trants, Montserrat. Part 5. Prehistoric avifauna

“…The total area of Trants (ca. 600,000 m^) is dominated today by pastures, garden plots, and an airstrip (Watters, 1994;Petersen, 1996).…”

“…The Saladoid people originated in South America and dispersed nearly throughout the West Indies, settling in Montserrat ca. 500 bc (Rouse;1992;Keegan, 1994;Watters, 1994;Petersen, 1996). They produced a distinctive white-on-red (wor) painted and zone-incised-crosshatched (zic) ceramic ware that has been excavated from many archaeological sites in the West Indies (Petersen and Watters, 1991;Siegel, 1991;Watters, 1994;Petersen, 1996).…”

“…500 bc (Rouse;1992;Keegan, 1994;Watters, 1994;Petersen, 1996). They produced a distinctive white-on-red (wor) painted and zone-incised-crosshatched (zic) ceramic ware that has been excavated from many archaeological sites in the West Indies (Petersen and Watters, 1991;Siegel, 1991;Watters, 1994;Petersen, 1996). The Saladoid people were horticulturists who raised drought-resistant root crops that supplied little or no protein to their diet (Wing, 1989).…”

“…Materials and Methods D. R. Watters and J. B. Petersen excavated the Trants site (MS-Gl) in 1979 and 1990 (Petersen and Watters, 1991;Watters, 1994;Petersen, 1996). The bones excavated in 1979 were reported by Steadman et al (1984Z?).…”

Archaeology of Trants, Montserrat. Part 4. Flaked stone and stone bead industries

“…This article focuses on lithic industries represented at the Trants site, specifically flake production and stone bead manufacture, both of which exhibit flaked-stone reduction techniques. This is the fourth in a series of articles concerned with Trants; other articles deal with field methods (Watters, 1994), vertebrate fauna (Reitz, 1994), and settlement data (Petersen, 1996), respectively. All of the lithic materials discussed here were recovered during archaeological investigations conducted at Trants in 1979(Watters, 1980 and 1990 (Petersen and Watters, 1993).…”