A Remarkable Mound Discovered in British Guiana. 23 



sure, but easily traced, with the bottoui resting on a bed of charcoal, 

 black mud and lumps of burut clay. This same material also surrounded 

 each pot and there could be no question that the pots had been placed in 

 the midst of a tire, the whole had been surrounded by a wall of earth and 

 that in the process of burning the fire had baked the irregular lumps of 

 clay in the earth to semi-brick. In many cases two, or even three, layers 

 of these pots and fires were found, and in every case deeper excavations 

 revealed the undisturbed bed of clay and sand of the savannah The only 

 explanation seemed to be that the pots were burial urns ; that the bodies 

 or bones of the dead had been placed within them and had been cremated 

 by surrounding with fire enclosed in walls of earth, and that the knoll 

 had at one time been the burial place of neighbouring Indians. 



No traces of bones, stone implements or other utensils were found 

 within the pots, but each wts filled with a fine, pasty, black material which 

 might well have been the remains of incinerated bones or flesh. That no 

 stone utensils were found seemed remarkable but not even a pebble was 

 discovered and I am forced to the conclusion that the people were either 

 ignorant of the use of stone implements, or were a tribe devoted to fish- 

 ing, and who had no use for weapons or utensils of stone 



But the most remarkable fact in regard to this mound was the area 

 covered by these pots and the enormous number buried. The entire 

 surface of the knoll itself was covered with them, each placed so close 

 to its neighbours that the sides almost touched, and my wonder increased 

 as we moved further and further from the knoll and still found the same 

 identical conditions. For a space of nearly 600 feet along the ridge and 

 for a width of about 150 feet every test showed the same inevitable pots 

 with their attendant bits of charcoal and lumps of burnt clay. There 

 were literally thousands of them (about 30,000 by my estimation), and if, 

 as I believe, they were burial urns the number of the dead proves that 

 an enormous population once dwelt on the Abary savannahs. 



And I can think of no other explanation than this, for there are but 

 three theories which can account for numerous pots found in a limited area. 



First : An Indian camp or village of many inhabitants who were 

 suddenly wiped out of existence leaving their pots behind. 



Second : A prehistoric pottery with many imperfect and discarded 

 pots and perfect pots suddenly abandoned. 



Third : A burial place where the dead were interred in pots. 



The first is untenable, as no Indian village could possess enough pots 

 to cover an area of the extent examined. To do so the pots would have 

 to be set regularly side by side over the entire area. Moreover the pots 

 found were all of similar form, material, and size. 



The second hypothesis is equally unworthy of consideration, as 

 Indians do not possess potteries but each family makes its own pots as 



