ST. VINCENT AND GRENADINES


pottery and other Amerindian artifacts are found-is tihe dark zone
at the base of the bank. This is clearly observable in thle upper
two pictures. The elevation of the surface of the river varies with
rainfall. At the time the picture was taken the base of tile artifact
bearing zone was only a little below the surface of the water. As is
evident from the pictures, it is buried by some 8 feet of layered
water deposited materials. Two or three volcanic and erosional
cycles may be represented by this overburden.
 It is presumed the basal black zone represents a swamp deposit,
hence the name of the site. Pottery from this deposit is illustrated
in Plates XIV-XX and listed in Table 10. Many of tile sherds are
large and some, such as the Arnos Vale Zoned vessel found by
Ashley Kirby (P1. XV, c), are complete except for the bottom. It
is clear these materials were not "rolled" any great distance by the
river. Rather it suggests there was a large site nearby (and now
covered by the riverine deposits) from which broken vessels and
other specimens were discarded by tossing them into the nearby
swamp water. Over a period of time they were covered 1)y sand
brought down by the river (plus some sand blown inland from
the nearby beach) and sIubsetquently both the site and the dump
were covered by tle thick mantles sliownl in Plate XIII. Occasion-
ally a sherd is found in the lighter colored material immediately
above the black swampy zone. This is considered the result ol
slope wash from a faces of the parent site.
 While we do not know how long it took for the overburden at
the Arnos Vale Swamp site to have accumulated, it seems a logical
assumption that the earliest deposits over the black cultural zone
forced the abandonment of this site. An idea of tile date is given
by radiocarbon analysis of a large lump of charcoal lound in situ
in the black cultural zone. The date (Sample RL-75) is 1540 -
110 years B.P. or about A.I). 410. We have no way of knowing
whether this date applies to the beginning, middle, or end of the
period of occupation at the Arnos Vale Swamp site, but this date
should apply approximately to most of the pottery listed on Table
10.
 An idea of the quantity of pottery found at the Arnos Vale
 Swamp site may be secured from Table 10 but an appraisal of the
 range of decoration and form present can only be made from an
 examination of Plates XIV-XX. Our only explanation for the in-
 clusion of Suazey and Caliviny pottery in the collection is that it