Precolonial/early colonial human burials from the site of White Marl, Jamaica: New findings from recent rescue excavations

Abstract

The recent excavation of three human burials at White Marl, Jamaica (AD 900–1500), presented an important opportunity to garner new insight into precolonial life and death on Jamaica. The study, undertaken as a part of a collaborative heritage mitigation programme in the wake of planned infrastructural development of parts of the site, focused on burial practices and ancient diet and mobility. The results reveal that the burial treatment of these three individuals is consistent with contemporaneous practices observed throughout the Caribbean in regard to burial location, body treatment, body position, and grave goods. The radiocarbon dates of the three individuals are consistent with a long occupation span of the site (cal. AD 1221–1641) and additionally reveal the possibility that one of the individuals (Burial 3) lived during the Spanish colonial occupation of the island. Carbon and nitrogen isotopic analysis of bone collagen of the three individuals indicates a relatively low marine protein contribution to the diet. Carbon isotope values from tooth enamel are consistent with whole diets dominated by C3‐plants. Starch grains identified in dental calculus indicate that, similar to contemporaneous sites throughout the region, White Marl inhabitants were consuming arrowroot, palms, achira, maize, and wild beans. Plant preparation techniques included grinding, roasting, and toasting. In addition, the tentative identification of a Theobroma cacao starch grain in Burial 1 represents the first finding of precolonial cocoa in the Caribbean islands. Expansion of the strontium isotope programme is needed to improve our understanding of the mobility of the White Marl population; however, tentative assessment of the results suggests that Burial 2 may have originated from elsewhere on the island of Jamaica.

Ecological flexibility and adaptation to past climate change in the Middle Nile Valley: A multiproxy investigation of dietary shifts between the Neolithic and Kerma periods at Kadruka 1 and Kadruka 21

“…Studies continue to highlight the variability of recovered microparticle assemblages that present a partial record of dietary intake and fail to capture dietary breadth at the individual level [87,88]. As such, dental calculus studies are increasingly applying larger population approaches embedded in multiproxy frameworks [57,58,[89][90][91][92].…”

The roots of the Columbian Exchange: an entanglement and network approach to early Caribbean encounter transactions

“… 2019 ; Mickleburgh et al. 2019 ; Newsom and Wing 2004 ; Pagán-Jiménez, Rodríguez Ramos, and Hofman 2019 ). The Spanish readily received the Amerindian markers of status.…”

Valuing Jamaica’s Archaeological Heritage

“…The Amerindian archaeological site of White Marl in Jamaica is often described in heritage circles as "the most valuable Taíno site on the island, and an important hub in the social networks of pre-colonial Jamaica" (Mickleburgh et al, 2018). It is located next to a bustling thoroughfare traversed daily by thousands of Jamaicans and linking Spanish Town (the second historical capital of Jamaica, known then as Saint Jago de la Vega) to Kingston, the present capital of Jamaica.…”

“…In 2017, in response to a proposed road redevelopment, an archaeological impact assessment and subsequent excavations were undertaken, which revealed additional human burials-a rarity. It has been noted that human remains have been documented at White Marl since 1860 when Richard Hill reported finding "portions of human skeletons" (Mickleburgh et al, 2018) along with pottery and shells. Sixteen additional human skeletons were also revealed during excavations in the 1950s to 1960s (Allsworth-Jones, 2008;Howard, 1956;Mickleburgh et al, 2018).…”

“…It has been noted that human remains have been documented at White Marl since 1860 when Richard Hill reported finding "portions of human skeletons" (Mickleburgh et al, 2018) along with pottery and shells. Sixteen additional human skeletons were also revealed during excavations in the 1950s to 1960s (Allsworth-Jones, 2008;Howard, 1956;Mickleburgh et al, 2018). The burials have also been described as representing a significant source of information on Jamaican pre-colonial life and death rituals, as little is known of burials other than from caves or disturbed contexts (Mickleburgh et al, 2018).…”