NO. 14 ARCHEOLOGY OF BAY ISLANDS, HONDURAS STRONG 93 



comparable to the collection of all thin, polychrome sherds encountered. 

 The sherd collection of monochrome pottery, however, cannot be 

 regarded as a random sample, since the majority of those saved were 

 decorated with incising or modeling. It must be borne in mind then, 

 that although the following discussion of complete and restored 

 vessels is fairly typical of the monochrome ware as a whole, the sherds 

 figured represent a very decided minority as compared with the less 

 ornate fragments left at the site. 



Two restored vessels are outstanding examples of the most ornate 

 and finest type of red (to buff) ware (pi. 24, a, b). The sherds from 

 which these two vessels were restored were found rather widely 

 scattered at a depth of about i^ feet in the sherd deposit. They had 

 evidently been deposited in a broken condition ; hence the collection 

 of sufficient pieces to make an accurate reconstruction was very 

 tedious. A considerable number of sherds from vessels of this ad- 

 vanced type were found and samples preserved (pi. 26), but these 

 were not in sufficient quantities to permit accurate restoration. 



The cylindrical vessel (pi. 24, b) is 23.5 cm high and 17.5 cm across 

 the mouth. It is light buff in color, inside and out, and the pottery 

 is extremely hard. The paste is very smooth, and no tempering is 

 visible. A high polish has been given to both inner and outer surfaces. 

 As is true of most of the monochrome ware, no slip is visible. The 

 bottom is slightly concave with a raised " dimple ", 6 cm in diameter, 

 in the center. The bottom is raised 3.5 cm on the perforated annular 

 base. The two conventional modeled lugs, the scroll design between 

 incised panels, and the incised and perforated annular base, indicate 

 that this type of pottery is a simplified version of the art style which 

 finds its best expression in the famous carved marble vases of the 

 Uloa River valley of the Honduras mainland, (Gordon, 1898a, pi. 12, 

 figs, e, /; Steinmayer, 1932, fig. 18, p. 20.) The vessel is also of 

 interest as being the apparent prototype of the small model offertory 

 vases from the Dixon site (pi. 8, fig. i) and elsewhere in the Bay 

 Islands. The conclusion that this striking and excellent type of large 

 vessel was used as a model seems logical when the larger and smaller 

 vessels are closely compared. The reasons for regarding the small 

 offertory vessels as models have previously been discussed. 



The second of these striking vessels (pi. 24, b) is similar to the 

 last in color and technique except that its polished inner surface is 

 a slate-blue, apparently the result of differential firing. It is the same 

 height as the last but has a central diameter of 21,4 cm. The swollen 

 body is unique. The reconstruction is accurate, inasmuch as the entire 

 base and one entire profile, including a section of rim and one con- 



