-^"tJ^JoPg^P^P- PREHISTORY OF PANAMA VIE JO BIESE 43 



design with a 5-10 cm. overlap all the way around. This vessel top 

 has a shallow flat shoulder ending in a throat only 15 cm. in diameter 

 around which there is evidence of a vertical rim having been present 

 at one time. The bottom has a 19 cm. curving fractm*e with 7 smooth 

 holes drilled along the edges. This was obviously for the placement 

 of ties for mending by the "crack-lace" method previously unreported 

 from Panama. As mentioned above, the jar contained a 20-cm. 

 plate and an infant burial. It appears that a utility grain- or water- 

 storage jar, with a not uncommon design, developed a crack and was 

 repaired. The vessel mouth was then widened so that the plate and 

 burial (or secondary burial) could be placed in it and covered with the 

 broken top of a similar vessel. Linne (1929) summarizes the distri- 

 bution of the technique and concludes it is primarily of western South 

 American origin with singular exceptions in Nicaragua and Costa 

 Kica. It is completely unknown from Mexico and Guatemala. 



SPINDLE WHORLS 



The 15 spindle whorls from the site (pi. 22) were treated separately 

 in a recent publication, to which one should refer for more detailed 

 information (Biese, 1961). All of the whorls were found exposed 

 on the surface after heavy rains, and were distributed sporadically 

 and without context in both residence and burial areas. They are 

 all made of the same red-brown to brown clays and tempering tech- 

 niques used for the general ceramic remains. The surface treatments 

 fall into two distinct groups: the coarse orange-to-red-to-brown slip 

 of Panama Viejo red ware, and the unslipped, smooth brown wares. 

 One whorl (No. 3) was a partially smudged tan of coarse clay. 



By physical characteristics, the whorls fell into three groups : 



Simple. — Nos. 10-11 are simple flattened balls of slipped clay bearing a center 

 core and representing the simplest type of spindle weight. No. 12 adds the 

 further refinement of a secondary smaller mass atop the first. In Nos. 1-2 this 

 mass is more distinctive. 



Mammiform. — Nos. 5, 7, and 9 have a more pronounced upper mass of clay. 

 They also differ from the preceding by being composed of a smoothly polished 

 dark-brown clay. 



Incised. — The remainder of the whorls are all similar in that they are decorated 

 with radial incising or punctate designs. 



In the publication cited above (Biese, 1961) it was pointed out that 

 the weights and diameters of these whorls placed them in two groups 

 such that the rough approximation of their inertia gave a sevenfold 

 difference. It was suggested that this was evidence for a more ad- 

 vanced weaving technology in which either two different fibers were 

 spun or two different weights of fibers were made for different 

 purposes. 



682-611—64 6 



