80 BULLETIN" 15 6, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



In Santo Domingo pottery, stamps are of three types, an oval or 

 circular flat disk, a cylindrical form, and a flat disk with handle at- 

 tached. The flat circular disk stamps are the most common, while 

 the tubular or cylindrical stamps are rare. The flat circular disks 

 with attached handles are of somewhat infrequent occurrence. Only 

 flat circular disk stamps are known from Samana and Monte Cristi. 

 In southeastern Santo Domingo there apparently had been a greater 

 development in the use of pottery stamps, if we are to judge from 

 the variety of forms, both the tubular or cylindrical earthenware 

 stamp and the handled disk stamp being limited to that section. 

 De Booy found this latter variety in his researches in the Province 

 of Higuey in southeastern Santo Domingo, and the writer found 

 a similar example at Andres on the Caribbean coast. (PL 36.) 

 Doctor Abbott obtained two cylindrical stamps from the lower valley 

 of the Yaque del Norte (pi. 34) , while Fewkes obtained and describes 

 a similar object, province unknown, from the Archbishop Merino 

 collection. 



Examples: Pottery stamp — 2.1 inches (5.4 centimeters) long; 

 diameter 2 inches (5 centimeters). Circular flat stamp with handle, 

 excavated from midden at Andres. Handle perforated near top. 

 Deeply cut angular designs. (PI. 36.) 



Flat disk pottery stamp, fragmentary, 2.4 inches (6 centimeters) 

 in diameter. Etched designs on one side only in the form of spokes 

 converging at a common center; from midden at Andres. (PI. 35.) 



Fragmentary pottery stamp, apparently oval, portion of remain- 

 ing fragment 3.4 inches (8.5 centimeters) in diameter. Circular 

 flat-bottomed impressions covering the one decorated surface; from 

 Andres midden. (PI. 36.) 



A variation from the ordinary type of earthenware stamp is the 

 earthenware pestle with disklike base, showing a design such as 

 might have been used for impressing designs in tattooing or on pot- 

 tery. This form in other respects does not depart from the general 

 type of earthenware pestle of southeastern Santo Domingo. The 

 pestle under description is 4 inches (10.2 centimeters) in length, 2.2 

 inches (5.7 centimeters) diameter of disk base. The head is molded 

 into the shape of an animal figurine head. The paste is porous, con- 

 taining large particles of stone and bits of wood and shell as temper- 

 ing material. (PI. 55.) Constanza Valley, from midden at Cerro 

 de Monte. 



Cylindrical roller stamps of earthenware and flat earthenware 

 pattern stamps have a wide distribution throughout the pottery area 

 of Central and South America. These stamps served a varied pur- 

 pose for stamping conventional designs on cloth, on the human body, 

 and to a lesser extent on earthenware. The rarity of these in archeo- 



