Unique raw material and unknown perforation techniques: specificities of the lapidary production in the Ceramic Age of the Lesser Antilles

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Hidden Gems: New Research on Lapidary, Lapidarists, and Polished Stone and Shell in the Americas" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Lapidary production is a prominent aspect of the material culture during the Early and Middle Ceramic Age in the Caribbean islands (400 BCE – 700 AD). The variety of bead and pendant types, and raw materials, is specific to this period when compared to later eras. The origin of various rocks and minerals remain uncertain, and a peculiar material has recently been discovered in the archaeological samples: sudoite, a mineral from the chlorite group. It has been identified for the first time in the lapidary production from several islands. Regional geological data and contexts support the hypothesis of an Isthmo-Colombian origin for this mineral. Additionally, the skills demonstrated in lapidary production are remarkable, especially given the basic lithic toolkit of the time, which relied on scarce raw materials. The perforation of rock crystal and amethyst beads several centimeters in length raises questions about the techniques used. Through experimental reproduction and microscopic observation of the specific features of the wear traces, we have confirmed that these narrow-diameter perforations may have been achieved using cactus spines and quartz abrasive. These findings provide new insights into the sophisticated lapidary techniques and regional circulation networks of the Ceramic Age in the Caribbean islands.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• Hidden Gems: New Research on Lapidary, Lapidarists, and Polished Stone and Shell in the Americas

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 51791