86 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 92 



INDIAN HILL 



Site i 



The first of these offertories that we investigated is just below the 

 crest of Indian Hill to the northeast. Indian Hill is approximately 

 in the center of the island and its summit is about three-fourths of 

 a mile from the southern and somewhat closer to the northern shore 

 (see map, fig. 19). We estimated its altitude at about 300 feet. Site i 

 is marked by two great wild fig trees, one living and one dead, around 

 which, over a space approximately 75 feet from east to west and 60 

 feet from north to south, is a mass of broken pottery and other arti- 

 facts. This deposit is covered by only a few inches of earth in those 

 places where it has not been disturbed. Much of the site had been dug 

 over in a haphazard fashion by earlier visitors. These include the 

 workers of Mr. Mitchell-Hedges' party and a number of local trea- 

 sure hunters. A tree of considerable size had been cut down to get 

 at the artifact deposits under its roots, and there was a large amount 

 of broken material left on the surface and around this tree (pi. 20, 

 fig. 2) . Since it was not possible to remove all this material for detailed 

 study, I made sketches and notes concerning the types represented, 

 which will be incorporated with the following account of artifacts 

 recovered from this site. Owing to lack of time, workmen, and ade- 

 quate tools, our own excavations were hardly more systematic. Since 

 the central portion of the deposit had been completely pitted, we dug 

 mainly in the northwest corner, taking out a wedge-shaped section, 

 and on the northeast where we came from the edge into the center of 

 the deposit. On the edges the artifact layer was very shallow but be- 

 came thicker as the center was approached, until it reached a depth 

 of something over 3 feet. This was the thickest portion of the deposit 

 that I observed, but it is possible that in the much-disturbed center 

 it is somewhat deeper. Although the above-mentioned factors, as well 

 as the brevity of our visit, precluded a systematic stratigraphic study, 

 an attempt was made to record the relative depths of various types 

 of artifacts. The most notable result that appeared in this regard was 

 that the bulk of the thin, polychrome pottery (Polychrome I) and a 

 few green stone carvings recovered came from the upper portions of 

 the deposit, usually within a foot of the surface. For the above reasons 

 and others shortly to be discussed this must be taken as a probable 

 rather than a positive indication of their relative age. 



In general nature, the deposit was similar to that at the Dixon site 

 but more extensive. Most striking was the enormous amount of 

 broken pottery. Entire pots were rare, but enough whole and re- 



