Amerindian Archaeological Sites in Barbados: Locations and Significance

Amerindian (pre-Columbian) archaeological sites in Barbados are concentrated in specific parishes, revealing the island's occupation by Saladoid (ceramic age) and possibly earlier groups.

Primary Concentration Zones

1. St. Philip Parish (Southeast) — Indian River to Foul Bay

• Key sites: Heywoods, Chancery Lane, Three Houses, Bottom Bay
• Features: Large midden deposits (shell, bone, pottery), postholes (structures), burials
• Period: Saladoid (c. 350-650 AD) and Troumassoid (650-1100 AD)
• Significance: Longest continuous occupation sequence; coastal adaptation

2. St. Peter Parish (Northwest) — Indian River to Foul Bay (North)

• Key sites: Heywoods (extends from St. Philip), Maycocks Bay, Pie Corner
• Features: Ceremonial artifacts, adornos (zoomorphic pottery), stone tools
• Environment: Spring-fed streams, arable land, reef access

Secondary/Smaller Sites

• Spring Hall (St. Lucy Parish, North): Surface scatter; possible Archaic (pre-ceramic) component
• Edgehill / Turners Hall Wood (St. Thomas Parish, Central): Inland sites; lithic workshops, evidence of forest resource use

What These Sites Reveal

• Migration: Saladoid people from Orinoco Valley (Venezuela) ~350 AD — canoe navigators
• Subsistence: Marine (fish, shellfish, turtle), terrestrial (agouti, iguana), agriculture (cassava, maize, peanuts)
• Technology: Ceramics (white-on-red, zone-incised crosshatch), stone (chert, quartz), shell tools
• Trade: Exotic stone (antiguan chert, Trinidad asphalt), inter-island networks
• Demise: Lucayan (Arawak) absorption? Spanish slaving? Disease? — gone by 1500s

Key Institutions

• Barbados Museum & Historical Society: Primary repository; displays at Garrison
• UWI Cave Hill (Dept. History & Philosophy): Archaeology program, field schools
• Florida Museum of Natural History: Major collections (Rouse, Drewett excavations)

Protection Status

• Antiquities Act (1911, amended): Legal protection for sites/artifacts
• Planning permission: Required for development in sensitive zones
• Challenges: Coastal erosion, development pressure, looting, limited enforcement resources

These sites—especially the St. Philip/St. Peter coastal corridor—represent the easternmost frontier of South American Amerindian expansion into the Caribbean, a remarkable maritime achievement 1,600+ years ago.