The Prehistoric Settlement Pattern of Nevis, West Indies

Wilson, S. R.

doi:10.2307/530279

Cited by 16 publications

(100 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In the Leeward (northern) islands, several Archaic sites are found on St. Thomas with 2 midpoints going back to ~1090 BC (Figueredo 1974;Lundberg 1989:34), Anguilla (n = 5) ~1550 BC (Crock et al 1995), Barbuda (n = 1) at 1850 BC (Watters et al 1992), St. Maarten (n = 2) at ~3300-3000 BC (Knippenberg 1995;Hofman and Hoogland 1999;Bonnissent et al 2004;Bonnissent 2008), St. Kitts (n = 2) possibly to between 2100-2500 BC (Armstrong 1980;Wilson 1999), Saba (n = 1) at 1760 BC (Hofman and Hoogland 2003;Hofman et al 2006), Nevis (n = 2) around 700 BC (Wilson 1989), and Antigua where over 50 Archaic sites have been identified going back to as early as 3000 BC. This is likely related to Antigua having an abundance of tool-quality chert that was heavily exploited and transported and/or exchanged to other islands (Nodine 1990;Davis 1993Davis , 2000.…”

Section: Research Background Archaic Age Dates In the Antillesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Verification of an Archaic Age Occupation on Barbados, Southern Lesser Antilles

Fitzpatrick¹

2011

Radiocarbon

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Caribbean Archaic Age (about 3000–500 BC) is thought to represent the earliest migration of humans from South America into the Lesser Antilles. However, there is a conspicuous absence of these early sites on islands south of the Guadeloupe Passage. To date, only a single radiocarbon date derived from a Queen conch (Strombus [Eustrombus] gigas) shell at the Heywoods site on Barbados was indicative of an Archaic occupation in the southern Antilles apart from a scattering of poorly reported (and mostly undated) sites. Given a number of issues associated with reliance on a single date to establish a cultural horizon, along with other problems derived from possible carbonate cement contamination and dating marine shells of a longer-lived species such as Queen conch, 2 additional samples were taken from the same unit and context at Heywoods to confirm whether the site is truly representative of an occupation during the Archaic Age. Results from a Queen conch shell adze in Context 7 dated to 2530–2200 BC (2 σ) and overlaps with the only other Archaic date from the site dating to 2320–1750 cal BC, while a juvenile specimen of the same species from Context 8 at 3280–2940 BC (2 σ) indicates that Barbados may have been settled even earlier. This suggests that Heywoods may be the oldest site between Trinidad and Puerto Rico. While further confirmation is required, these new dates have implications for understanding the nature of migratory ventures in the Caribbean, such as whether the “Southward Route” hypothesis—which postulates that earlier migration events from South America during the Ceramic Age (beginning ∼500 BC) initially bypassed the southern Lesser Antilles—also applies to the Archaic, and if other phenomena such as active volcanism may have played a role in structuring settlement patterns. Questions also remain as to why Heywoods does not exhibit the typical lithic Archaic tool kit.

show abstract

Section: Research Background Archaic Age Dates In the Antillesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Verification of an Archaic Age Occupation on Barbados, Southern Lesser Antilles

Fitzpatrick¹

2011

Radiocarbon

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…During the Ceramic Age, an increase in reliance on marine resources is noticed through time and it is especially apparent within the Late Ceramic Age (Petersen 1997). The beginning of this period marked a considerable increase in the number of sites on the various local islands, such as for example Anguilla, Nevis, and la Désirade (Crock 2000;Crock & Petersen 1999;De Waal 1999a, 2006Wilson 1989). Furthermore, we see the appearance of an overall distribution of sites on all regional islands, including ones that were formerly unoccupied (Crock 2000;Petersen 1997;Watters 1980).…”

Section: Discussion Of Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Crock 2000;De Waal 2001, 2006Wilson 1989). Alongside this increase, habitation became more evenly spread.…”

Section: 23mentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Despite this variation in archaeological research within the northeastern Lesser Antilles, the past 20 years have certainly provided an enormous amount of new archaeological data, all of which has drastically changed the region's position within Caribbean archaeology (Crock 2000;Crock & Petersen 1999;Hofman 1993;Hofman et al 2001;Hoogland 1996;Murphy 1996Murphy , 1999Petersen 1996;Versteeg & Schinkel 1992;Watters 1994;Wilson 1989; for an overview, see Delpuech & Hofman 2004). Until the late 1970s, the northern Lesser Antilles were considered to be a marginal archaeological region between the relatively well-studied Greater Antilles and the Windward Islands.…”

Section: 21mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Stone Artefact Production and Exchange among the Lesser Antilles

Knippenberg¹

2007

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…We find the region divided among two principle culture-areas, but defined by the mainland, with the Greater Antilles an extension of Central America, and the Lesser Antilles culturally bridging to northern South America. The archipelago was essentially undifferentiated from mainland areas in cultural or social characteristics, although localized social and linguistic variation was evident (Keegan 1994(Keegan , 1996Wilson 1989). Following a century of depopulation beginning with Columbus, the region was artificially transformed-redefined politically and culturally-by the invading Europeans.…”

Section: Definitions In Time and Spacementioning

confidence: 97%

Boundaries, Borders, and Reference Points: The Caribbean Defined as Geographic Region and Social Reality

Meniketti

2008

Int J Histor Archaeol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Terms used to describe a region often reflect and directly influence the way space, identity, and history are conceived or constructed. The Caribbean is one such place where external definitions frequently transcend simple geography and socio-political boundaries. The region can be understood by both temporal and cultural categories. The case is made in this paper that archaeological interpretations of social history are impacted by how one conceives of the region.

show abstract

The Prehistoric Settlement Pattern of Nevis, West Indies

Cited by 16 publications

References 0 publications

Verification of an Archaic Age Occupation on Barbados, Southern Lesser Antilles

Verification of an Archaic Age Occupation on Barbados, Southern Lesser Antilles

Stone Artefact Production and Exchange among the Lesser Antilles

Boundaries, Borders, and Reference Points: The Caribbean Defined as Geographic Region and Social Reality

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About