TYPE EXAMPLES IK THE NATIONAL COLLECTION 79 



a style distinct from the archaic figurine heads well known as Tainan. 

 In this type of plastic sculpturing in clay as mentioned, the modeling 

 of life designs is incorporative ; that is, the figures are not applied 

 but are an essential part of the vessel, as in the ancient pottery of the 

 Cauca Kiver Valley of Colombia. 



A unique form of thin-walled red-ware vessel from San Juan 

 appears in No. 3, Plate 47 (U.S.N.M. No. 341020). The vessel is 

 almost a perfect sphere and is symmetrical. The walls are unusually 

 thin and plain, but are unique in that they terminate abruptly with 

 the incurved shoulder and have no neck area or marginal reinforce- 

 ment. The bottom of the vessel is flat. Dimensions: Diameter, 

 4.7 inches (12 centimeters); height, 3.4 inches (8.5 centimeters). 

 Orifice at the top is 1.6 inches (4 centimeters) in diameter. Paste 

 and tempering are similar to the usual type of earthenware from the 

 peninsula. 



Pottery staTnps and miscelluneo'us objects. — Flat, circular earthen- 

 ware objects from prehistoric habitation sites in eastern Santo Do- 

 mingo have been described as stamps. It has been conjectured that 

 they may be cassava graters. One of the group, U.S.N.M. No. 

 341023, is obviously neither, but is a spindle whorl of simplest form. 

 It is fragmentary, but sufficient material remains to identify it as 

 such. No design is incised on its surface, as on the pottery stamps. 

 Its diameter restored is 3.2 inches (8 centimeters) ; thickness, 0.5 

 inch (1.3 centimeters). The hole at the center is 0.5 inch (1.3 centi- 

 meters) in diameter. The material used is similar to the paste 

 employed in the majority of objects recovered from San Juan, where 

 this whorl was excavated. Tempering material is also similar and 

 consists of many granular particles of sand and gravel and bits of 

 crystal quartz. (No. 6, pi. 35.) 



Stamps figured in Plate 35 are problematical. The designs vary, 

 some being rectilinear, incised figures converging at a common 

 center; others are partly curvilinear and extend across the surface 

 transversely ; another has small punctations divided into panels with 

 a grooving stick; and one introduces deep pits more or less evenly 

 spaced. It is possible that these various pottery forms represent 

 objects used in games. The average diameter is 2.7 inches (7 centi- 

 meters) ; thickness, 0.6-0.8 inch (1.5-2 centimeters). Some of the 

 figures are incised on either lateral flat surface; others are plain on 

 the reverse. When designs are applied to both flat surfaces they 

 differ from each other in each instance. This would scarcely be 

 necessary with a simple utilitarian implement. If used as a stamp 

 to place designs on pottery vessels before firing the impressions made 

 by it would be in relief. Only a few fragments of decorated ware 

 recovered showed such raised designs. (PI. 37.) 



