The ceramic sequence and new tl and c 14 dates for the agüerito site of the middle orinoco venezuela

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The Ceramic Sequence and New TL and C-14 Dates for the Agüerito Site of the MiddleOrinoco, VenezuelaAuthor(s): Alberta Zucchi, Kay Tarble, J. Eduardo VazSource: Journal of Field Archaeology, Vol. 11, No. 2 (Summer, 1984), pp. 155-180Published by: Boston UniversityStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/529351 .Accessed: 06/07/2011 13:54

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Introduction Following a prolonged period of neglect, the Orinoco

area has recently become the center of archaeological interest and debate. The abundant natural resources and ease of mobility provided by the river system helped make this one of the most attractive areas in northern South America for early agriculturalists. Data from recent excavations have thrown new light on cultural development in the region; there is little agreement, however, as to the antiquity, origins, interrelationships, and migratory pattems of the cultures involved. Two opposing theories have been formulated. The first, proposed by I. B. Rouse and A. Roosevelt,l maintains that

1. I. B. Rouse, "The La Gruta Sequence and its Implications," in E. Wagner and A. Zucchi, eds., Unidad y Variedad: Ensayos en Homenaje a J.M. Cruxent (Ediciones Centro de Estudios Avanzados, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas: Caracas 1978) 203-229; idem, "Diffusion and Interaction in the Orinoco Valley and on the Coast," paper presented to the IX Congreso Internacional para el Estudio de las Culturas Precolombinas de las Antillas Menores (Santo Domingo 1981); I. B. Rouse and L. Allaire, ''Caribbean,'' in C. Meighan and R. Taylor, eds., Chronologies in New World Ar- chaeology (Seminar Press: New York 1978). See also A. Roosevelt, "La Gruta: an Early Tropical Community of the Middle Orinoco Basin,'' in Wagner and Zucchi, eds., op. cit. (in this note) 173-201;

the two oldest ceramic series of the Orinoco (Saladoid and Barrancoid) can be derived from the same source, namely La Gruta. This site, discovered during the 1970s in the Middle Orinoco, originated, according to the authors cited in note 1, some 4,000 years ago, thus making it one of the earliest formative sites in Amazonia. Based on her fieldwork of 1975, Roosevelt has established a sequence of nine phases for the Parmana area, which she has grouped into three traditions: La Gruta, Corozal, and Camoruco.2 The first of these traditions, made up of La Gruta, Ronquin, and Ronquin Sombra phases, is related to the Saladoid and, to some extent, to the Barrancoid series. The second, formed by Corozal 1, 2, and 3, apparently constitutes a local development, while the third, composed of Camoruco 1, 2, and 3, belongs to the Ar- auquinoid series.3 I. Vargas and M. Sanoja, on the other

I. B. Rouse, J. M. Cruxent, F. Olsen, and A. Roosevelt, ''Ronquin Revisited,'' in R. Bullen, ed., Proceedings of the 6th International Congress for the Study of the Precolombian Cultures of the Lesser Antilles, Guadaloupe (Gainesville 1976) 1 17- 122.

2. At present this is the most detailed sequence so far established for the area and it will serve as the base for our comparisons.

3. Roosevelt, loc. cit. (in note 1); A. Roosevelt, Parmana: Prehis-

The Ceramic Sequence and New TL and C-14 Dates for the Aguerito Site of the Middle Orinoco, Venezuela

Alberta Zucchi Kay Tarble J. Eduardo Vaz Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas (I.V.I.C.) Caracas, Venezuela

Research on the Aguerito site of the Middle Orinoco, Venezuela, has served to broaden knowledge about ceramics-bearing groups of the area and to help solve chronological problems of this strategic region. The combined use of thermoluminescence (TL) and C-14 dating techniques has permitted us to confirm the placement of the Ronquin and posterior phases between 200 A.C.

and 1500 A.C. Detailed analysis of pottery from the site has allowed us to define four components, each apparently representing the remains of distinct social entities. Two of these had not been distinguished as separate components by previous authors. The multiplicity of groups revealed by the Aguer- ito research agrees well with the ethnohistorical accounts for the area, which emphasize social and economic interaction among numerous ethnic groups.

156 Ceramic Sequence and Dates for the Aguerito Site/Zucchi, Tarble, and Vaz

hand, interpret the evidence they have obtained from the Lower and Middle Orinoco in quite a different manner. Although agreeing that La Gruta is ancestral to the Sa- ladoid styles in the middle Orinoco and on the coast, these authors call attention to the marked differences in style and shape between La Gruta and Barrancas, the earliest known style of the Batrancoid senes. At the same time, they deny the presence of Saladoid sites in the Lower Orinoco and are unwilling to accept the antiquity attributed to La Gruta by Rouse et al., placing it toward the middle of the 1st millennium B.C.4

Lack of agreement stems from two sources. 1) The irregularity observed in the series of C-14 determinations obtained in the Middle Orinoco has permitted the construction of three different chronologies. Rouse proposes both a short one beginning with the La Gruta phase ca. 185 B.C., and a long one beginning with the same phase around 2,000 B.C.5 Vargas's chronology for the same ceramic sequence starts around 600 s.c.6 2) The other source for controversy lies in the existence of two opposed theoretical positions regarding the origin and antiquity of the Tropical Forest Culture in general. The first, proposed by D. Lathrap,7 considers the earliest developments of the area to be of local (or, at least, low- land and coastal) origin and of considerable antiquity (ca. 4,000-5,000 B.C.). Proponents of the second, on the contrary, prefer to consider the important cultural man- ifestations in the Orinoco/Amazon basin to be the result

toric Maize and Manioc Subsistence along the Orinoco and Amazon (Academic Press: New York 1980); Rouse, 1978 op. cit. (in note 1) 223-229.

4. M. Sanoja, Las Culturas Formativas del Oriente de Venezuela: La Tradicion Barrancas del Bajo Orinoco, Biblioteca de la Academia Nacional de Historia. Serie de Estudios, Monografias y Ensayos 6 (Caracas 1979) 284-285; M. Sanoja and I. Vargas, Antiguas For- maciones y Modos de Produccion Venezolanos (Monte Avila Editores: Caracas 1974) 95-106; I. Vargas, ''La Gruta, un Nuevo Sitio Ron- quinoide en el Orinoco Medio," in Bullen, ed., op. cit. (in note 1) 123-124; idem, La Tradicion Saladoide del Oriente de Venezuela: La Fase Cuartel. Biblioteca de la Academia Nacional de Historia. Serie deEstudios. MonografiasyEnsayos5 (Caracas 1979) 215-236; idem, ''La Tradicion Ceramica Pintada del Oriente de Venezuela," in S. Lowenstein, ed., Proceedings of the Eighth International Congress for the Study of the Precolombian Cultures of the Lesser Antilles. Arizona State University Anthropological Research Papers 22 (Tempe 1980) 276-289; I. Vargas and M. Sanoja, ''Con1paraciones entre la Arqueologia del Bajo y Medio Orinoco," in J. Benoist and F. Mayer, eds., Actas del Se'ptimo Congreso Internacional para el Estudio de las Culturas Precolombinas de las Antillas Menores, Caracas (Centre de Recherches Caraibes: Montreal 1978) 221-230.

5. Rouse, 1978 op. cit. (in note 1).

6. Vargas, 1979 op. cit. (in note 4).

7. D. Lathrap, The Upper Amazon (Thames and Hudson: South- hampton 1970) 54-57.

of migration or influence from the Andes.8 This dating necessarily implies later dates for the lowlands than for their supposed Andean ancestors.

In this paper we present and discuss the ceramic and chronological evidence obtained at the Aguerito site, and then relate it to the three chronologies referred to at the beginning of the last paragraph.

The Site

Aguerito is a settlement site occupying an elevated area on the right bank of the Orinoco (7°36' lat. north, 66°23' long. west), directly opposite the mouth of the Apure River (FIG. la). The surrounding lowlands are se- verely affected by the annual river flooding resulting from the confluence of these two rivers. Striking differences are found in the river level between dry and wet seasons; at the peak of the dry season a difference of more than 10 m was observed between river level then, and that for the previous rainy season. The Aguerito site and other similar high areas of the river bank have been traditionally favored as living sites by local populations. Although Aguerito is on the high ground that lies in front of a rock outcrop, at present occupied by four peasant houses, its northern part is flooded during the rainy season, and was probably more susceptible to flooding in earlier times when the site was obviously lower. In fact, it is probable that this northern part of the site was grad- ually destroyed through erosion.9 The whole area is cov- ered by gallery forest, although fruit trees such as mangoes, lemons, and tamarinds are found at the site. On the rock outcrop behind the site several petroglyphs were located, and on its top, ca. 100 m above the level of the site, grooved surfaces, apparently used to sharpen axes, were found.

Because of its characteristics and location, the Aguer- ito site offered the pre-Hispanic groups several advantages as a resource base. In the first place, it provided high ground for settlement (part of which remained out of flooding even during the heaviest rainy seasons), but with easy access to fresh water for fishing, drinking, and transportation. Although the soils of these elevated areas are generally poorer in nutrients, they are suitable for manioc cultivation on a rotational basis. The pre-His- panic groups that inhabited the site, however, could also exploit, through dry-season cultivation, the lower lands that are periodically fertilized by the river. In fact, the

8. B. Meggers and C. Evans, ''An Experimental Formulation of Ho- rizon Styles in the Tropical Forest Area of South America," in G. Lothrop et al., Essays in Pre-Columbian Art and Archaeology (Har- vard University Press: Cambridge 1961 ) 372-388 .

9. The site slopes down toward the river at a ca. 15° angle in the area of Pit 1.

Journal of Field ArchaeologylVol. 11, 1984 157

Figure 1. Maps (a) of the Middle Orinoco area and (b) location of the excavations at the Aguerito site.

terraces below the site are still being used for corn, bean, and cotton agriculture. In addition to these advantages, Aguerito has a strategic location that allows monitoring of all the water traffic from the Upper and Lower Ori- noco as well as that from the Llanos, coming out of the Apure River.

These characteristics of the site point to various possible subsistence patterns, depending on the principal resource, as follows: 1) a subsistence based on manioc cultivation, fishing, hunting, and gathering, with a settlement duration of 10-20 years followed by abandonment for a like period, or longer; 2) a more nomadic pattern based on fishing, gathering, and some manioc agriculture (In this case the site may have been occupied seasonally, mainly during the rainy season, while the groups dispersed in the dry season to hunt, fish, and exploit the turtle beaches and the vegetable products upriver, and/or to trade.); 3) fishing, hunting, and corn/ bean/squash and manioc cultivation. In this case the settlement would have been permanent with the corn, bean, and squash agriculture on the lower grounds (terraces and islands) and manioc cultivation on the higher lands.

During the fishing and trading expeditions some of the community's inhabitants would have remained home to tend the crops. It seems probable that the subsistence pattern in the Aguerito site varied over the years.

Excavations and Depositional History A square trench formed by four contiguous pits (nos.

2-5), each measuring 2m x 2m and two additional test pits (nos. 1 and 6), measuring lm x lm, were excavated under the direction of Zucchi. Pit 1 is located some 13 m NW of the trench and Pit 6 is just to the west of the trench (FIG. lb). Pit 1 was excavated in 1976, Pits 2, 3, 4, and 5 were dug during the 1977 field season, and Pit 6 was excavated with the assistance of Tarble in 1981.1° Archaeological material, found scattered over the surface of part of the site, was obtained to a depth of 1.25 m in the excavations. Our first visit to Aguerito was part of a general survey of the Middle Orinoco,

10. In August, 1982, four additional pits (nos. 7-10), forming a trench 2m x 8m, were excavated outside the fence in the vicinity of Pit 1. The material obtained is currently under study.


intended to clarify the distribution of sponge-spicule- tempered pottery. The project is sponsored by the Insti- tuto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas. The preliminary results obtained from a test pit (1) at that time revealed a long and complex sequence that promised to provide important data on the cultural history and chronology of the Middle Orinoco. For this reason we re- turned to the site in 1977 to excavate the four main pits (2-5). The material remains recovered allowed us to refine the stylistic sequence of the site; we encountered chronological discrepancies in the C-14 dates, however, similar to those reported for the Parrnana area. Rouse,l1 Roosevelt,12 and Vargas13 had meanwhile discussed the possibility of contamination of their charcoal samples either through redeposition or through accidental mixture of lignite. We felt, therefore, an altetnative dating method was called for to avoid the problems involved with the C-14 samples. We retutned again to the site in 1981 to obtain ceramic and soil samples for thermoluminescent analysis (Pit 6).14

The reconstruction of the depositional history of Aguerito has been handicapped by the rather limited excavations and the absence of observable stratigraphic features, the latter a result of the sandy nature of the deposits. A geologist who visited the site during the most recent excavations examined the profiles and found no observable zonation or horizontal differentiation that could be diagnostic of a particular fluvial and/or aeolian origin.15 The analysis of the ceramic sequence from each pit, and the C-14 and TL determinations, together with the general morphology of the site, suggest that important changes occurred in the layout of the occupational area of this multicomponent site during its history. Un-

11. Rouse, 1978 op. cit. (in note 1) 213-214.

12. Roosevelt, 1978 op. cit. (in note 1) 177-179.

13. Vargas, 1976 op. cit. (in note 4) 123-124.

14. This pit was dug in 10 cm levels, as opposed to 25 cm levels for the previous excavations (Pits 1-5). Contrary to the situation found in Parmana by Rouse, no living floors or other stratigraphic features were observed in any of the cuts at Aguerito. The only exception was a stone alignment found at the bottom of one of the four additional pits (7-10) that were dug after this paper had been completed.

15. Dr. Carlos Schubert, personal communication. Schubert recently carried out a grain-size analysis of soil samples taken from five levels of Pit 7 (0.10-0.20 m, 0.30-0.40 m, 0.50-0.60 m, 0.70-0.80 m and 0.90-1.00 m) with results that seem to support an aeolic origin for the soil at the site. The mean size vs. skewness and mean size vs. standard deviation plots for the Aguerito samples both fall within the parameters for dunes, as established by G. M. Friedman, "Distinction between Dune, Beach and River Sands from their Textural Charac- teristics, " JSedPetrol 31 (1961) 514-529. Schubert points out that these results should be viewed with some caution, however, since no comparative samples were tested from the river bottom, river bank, or surrounding floodplain at Aguerito.

derstanding these changes is fundamental to interpreting the relationships among the different excavation units. The evidence obtained suggests that the deposition of the site took place in four stages.

The first stage, which corresponds to the earliest settlement, is represented stratigraphically by levels 0.75- 1.25 m of Pit 1, level 1.00-1.25 m of the trench (Pits 2-5) and the lower 30 cm of Pit 6 (0.90-1.20 m). The difference in depth among these early occupational strata suggests that the core area of the initial deposit was located more toward the river, while the area around the trench and Pit 6 was peripheral (FIG. 2). It is possible that a portion of the material of these early levels may correspond to an earlier occupation; with the limited data available at this moment, however, we prefer to consider these levels as one stage.

The second stage is represented by level 0.50-1.00 m of Pits 2-5, level 0.25-0.75 m of Pit 1, and levels 0.40- 0.90 m of Pit 6. During this stage the occupational area seems to have extended spatially and increased in inten- sity toward the southern part of the site (FIG. 2).

The third stage (levels 0.00-0.25m of Pit 1, 0.25- 0.50 m of Pits 2-5, and 0.30-0.40 m of Pit 6) indicates a similar trend: that is to say, the refuse is deeper at the southern part of the site. The last stage, on the other hand, shows a marked reduction in the quantity of material, and is stratigraphically and exclusively represented by the uppermost level 0.00-0.25 m of Pits 2-5 and the three upper levels of Pit 6 (0.00-0.30 m) (FIG. 2).

The irregularity that can be observed in the thickness of the strata representing each of the four stages in the different pits seems to suggest a displacement of the core area of the settlement toward the southern part of the site. This displacement began after the refuse of stage 1 had been deposited, and continued through stages 2 and 3. On the other hand, the absence of the layers corresponding to the fourth stage in Pit 1 can be interpreted in two ways. In the first place it is possible to believe that with the southern movement of the settlement area, material from this stage was never deposited in the area of Pit 1. The other alternative is that this layer was at one time present,.but was eroded by the river through time. This possibility would seem more probable con- sidering the nature of the site and the periodic fluctuations of the river level.

Our next task is to take a closer look at the material remains and attempt a reconstruction of the social entities present in the Aguerito site. We are posed with a stratigraphic sequence in which at least four distinct ceramic components are present. We shall present arguments to support the hypothesis that each of these components represents a distinct social entity.


Depositionol History of Aguerito z Figure 2. Reconstruction of the

,-^ depositional history of the Aguerito site.

'I nlrli 1111111 1lllllllltlllrlltll 2 . m 2 m

PitS 2,3,4,5

and E) have been defined on the basis of tempenng matenal. Unique combinations of paste, form, and decoration found on four of these wares (A-D) lead us to propose that they probably correspond to distinct social entities and we have denominated these as ceramic components. The first, Ware A, is characterized by a reddish-orange paste, sand temper, and a fairly high percentage of decorated sherds with white-on-red, red-on- white, and red-and-white on natural paint, incision, and modelling (FIG. 3a-n). Although the predominant shape is the open bowl with direct, thickened or flat-topped flanged rims, a few small jars, griddles, bottles, and ollas (large globular jars) are present. This ware is most frequent in the early part of our sequence and is clearly related to the Saladoid Series. Ware B matenal is tempered with sand, particles of dry clay, and, in some instances (particularly in the earlier levels), fiber. Dec- oration consists of incision in multiple parallel lines, notches or short incision on lips and, to a lesser degree, bi- and polychrome painting (FIG. 4a-k). As in Ware A, open bowls predominate; these, however, are distin- guishable by their modes of rim treatment (more thickened and squared) and by a greater frequency of carination. Fragments of small jars and ollas were also identified. This material relates to Howard's Z group16 and Vargas'sl7 and Roosevelt'sl8 crushed sherd-Elber

16. George Howard, Excavations at Ronquin, Venezuela. Yale Uni- versity Publications in Anthropology 28 (Yale University Press: New Haven 1943) 45-46.

17. Iraida Vargas, Investigaciones Arqueologicas en Parmana. Bi- blioteca de la Academia Nacional de Historia. Serie de Estudios, Monografias y Ensayos 20 (Caracas 1981).


HIGH WATER LEVEL

10- 12 Meters

lpitl

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300 M >

The Ceramic Sequence

The ceramic sequence in Aguerito is characterized by a high degree of synchronic and diachronic variability. This complexity, linked with the irregular deposition found at the site, compelled us to orient our ceramic analysis toward the solution of three specific problems with the final objective of obtaining an accurate reconstruction of the occupational history. Our first problem was to discriminate the principal ceramic components in relation to the stratigraphy observed with the aim of showing temporal relationships. This analysis would give a macrochronology for the site. Next, the examination of temporal variability within each ceramic component would allow us to determine the stylistic evolution of each of them. An important aspect of this analysis is the possible delineation of distinct periods in the different styles. Here we would hope to show the continuous or discontinuous character of the stylistic change that would help us to determine whether the site was abandoned or not at different points in time. (It must be recalled that no differences were visible in the pit profiles that would indicate gaps in the occupation, and the sandy nature of the soil together with past inundations possibly acted to mix materials deposited at different periods of time.) Finally, a comparison of the different components de- signed to show their interrelationships (or equally significant lack of relationships) should throw light on interaction among the groups occupying the site.

In this paper we present the macrochronology for the site, adding results of the stylistic and comparative anal- yses (to be published in detail elsewhere) when pertinent. Six different wares (tentatively named A,B,C,D,B-C,


Figure 3. Ware A (a-n) and Ware E (o-q) pottery from Aguerito.

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tempered material, and, like the Ware A material, is most frequent in the early levels.

Freshwater sponge-spicule temper characterizes the third of the components (Ware C), which constitutes nearly 75% of the collection. This ware is intrusive in the earliest levels, but increases to dominate the latter part of the sequence. Incised, applique, modelled, and painted decoration is found. Changes in the style of decoration have permitted us to correlate the early portion of this material with the Corozal phase established by Roosevelt for Parmana (FIG. 41-w), while the latter material is included in the Arauquinoid Series (FIG. Sa-o).

The vessel forms of this ware are quite varied and include distinctive modes of rim termination and flanges, a higher proportion of ollas and jars, as well as new forms such as double-bodied effigy vessels, double- spouted jars with connecting strap handles, and collared jars. Griddles, fragments of pot rests, plain and perforated discs, and cylinder stamps are also found.

The fourth ware (Ware D) is defined by coarse quartz temper, a simple array of forms, and very limited applique and modelled decoration (FIG. 61-s). These ceramics are fairly late at the site and no similar material has been described in the literature, although Zucchi has located several sites with substantial components of this ware in the Middle Orinoco area.19

The remaining Wares (B-C and E) are distinguished from the foregoing in that they do not seem to represent the material remains of distinct social groups, but rather the variations of one or another of the principal components. Ware B-C presents a combined temper of dried clay, sand, and spicule as well as decorative elements and forms similar to both Wares B and C, leading us to propose that it represents evidence of technical exchange between the makers of these two latter wares (FIG. 6a-k).

It is found in small quantities shortly after the appearance of spicule material in the site. Roosevelt describes a similar combination in the Corozal phase of the La Gruta sequence, and Howard refers to a few spicules found in the temper of some of his Z-group sherds.

The last ware (Ware E) is infrequent at Aguerito, and is tempered with fine sand. At the moment we are unable to associate it definitely with any of the other wares because its few forms and decorative elements are found in both Wares A and B (FIG. 30-q).

Tables 1-4 show the relative frequencies of the different wares of each pit excavated. Three distinct patterns are apparent: one for Pit 1, one for 6, and another common to the pits of the trench (2-5).

Pit I This pit is unique in that the concentration of Wares

A and B is greater and more prolonged and Ware C is less frequent than in the other excavations at the site. Sand-tempered (Ware A) and fiber-clay tempered (Ware B) material dominate the first four levels, while spicule- tempered material (Ware C) increases steadily to attain a maximum of 59So in the upper cut. Contrary to the other pits, Ware A of Pit 1 gains popularity, whereas Ware B diminishes. In level 0.25-0.50 m two new wares are introduced (B-C and D), the latter of which increases to 8% in level 0.00-0.25 m. Ware E is present in minute quantities in the upper three levels. It should be noted that the density of sherds in level 0.00-0.25 m is substantially higher (141.2 sherds per 0.10 cu. m) than that noted for the other cuts (TABLE 1).

Several stylistic trends of particular interest were noted. Ware A material maintains a high degree of painted and modelled decoration throughout all levels, in contrast to a tendency toward simplification noted in the other pits. Ware B material is more heavily tempered with fiber (TABLE S) and lacks the bi- and polychrome painting found sporadically in the other cuts. Vessel forms and incised modes, however, are practically identical to the rest of the Ware B material. It is noteworthy that the mode of incised notches or short incisions on the lips of bowls is found throughout levels 0.00-1.00 m, whereas it is limited to 0.75-1.00 m in Pits 2, 3, 4, and 5. Simple applique decoration is the only kind found in Ware C material up until level 0.00-0.25 m when other definitely Arauquinoid elements are incorporated. These data point to an early placement of the Pit 1 material in our total sequence, as will be discussed later.

Pits 2-5

These pits show similar tendencies in the frequency charts and differ from Pits 1 and 6 in that the changes between levels are very pronounced giving the impression of a series of marked jumps (TABLES 2-4). In the bottom level (1.00-1.25 m), Ware C sherds are a rarity. Only in Pit 4 is there a significant concentration (20%), and this is because of the intrusion of sherds belonging to a large vessel found in level 0.75-1.00 m. In cuts 2, 3, and 5, Ware B sherds are somewhat more frequent than Ware A, whereas Pit 4 shows a slight predominance of the latter. Ware B-C and Ware D are virtually absent in the lowest level. The following level (0.75-1.00 m) shows a substantial increase in spicule-temper material (30-48%); Wares A and B decrease in popularity, this trend being more notable in the sand-tempered (A) sherds. Ware B-C appears in this level in all the pits with a 19. A. Zucchi, unpublished survey material.

Journal of Field Archaeology/Vol. 11, 1984 163

Figure 5. Late Ware C pottery from Aguerito.

164 Ceramic Sequence and Dates for the Aguerito Site/Zucchi Tarble, and Vaz

Figure 6. Ware B-C (a-k) and Ware D (l-s) pottery from Aguerito.

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Table 4. Distribution of Wares A-E in Pit 6, Aguerito.

A B B-C C E Total No. of sherds

Level (m) N % N % N % N % N % N % per 0.10 cu. m

0.00-0.10 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 14 93.33 1 6.67 15 100 15 0.10-0.20 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 1 50.00 1 50.00 2 100 2 0.20-0.30 1 2.22 1 2.22 0 0.00 31 68.89 12 26.66 45 100 45 0.30-0.40 7 3.37 3 1.44 5 2.40 169 81.25 24 11.54 208 100 208 0.40-0.50 10 6.84 5 3.42 6 4.11 120 82.19 5 3.42 146 100 146 0.50-0.60 5 4.90 3 2.94 4 3.92 88 86.27 2 1.96 102 100 102 0.60-0.70 8 5.63 10 7.04 5 3.52 116 81.69 3 2.11 142 100 142 0.70-0.80 20 11.24 27 15.17 8 4.49 116 65.17 7 3.93 178 100 178 0.80-0.90 26 19.70 21 15.91 7 5.30 73 55.30 5 3.79 132 100 132 0.90-1.00 13 22.41 13 22.41 9 15.52 23 39.66 0 0.00 58 100 58 1.00-1.10 12 22.22 18 33.33 2 3.70 22 40.74 0 0.00 54 100 54 1.10-1.20 6 24.00 7 28.00 3 12.00 9 36.00 0 0.00 25 100 25 TOTAL 108 9.76 108 9.76 49 4.43 782 70.64 60 5.42 1107 100

166 Ceramic Sequence and Dates for the Aguerito SitetZucchi, Tarble, and Vaz

frequency of 8-11%, as does Ware D (2-3%). Level 0.50-0.75 m is characterized by a notable increase in the density of sherds per level and by another significant jump in the popularity of spicule-tempered pottery. At the same time, a drop occurs in Wares A, B, and B-C. Ware D is also present and this is the highest level in which Ware E material is found, except for an occasional sherd in Pit 2. In level 0.25-0.50 m the same tendencies noted for 0.50-0.75 m continue. Wares A and B are reduced to less that 5% each, Ware B-C is found in only 5% of the sherds and the spicule-tempered ware increases. Ware D shows a significant increase to between 8% and 16%, whereas Ware E disappears. Material is generally densest in this level (77.1-113.7 sherds per 0.10 cu. m), although Pits 3 and 4 showed slightly higher densities in the previous level. The uppermost level of these pits (0.00-0.25 m) shows a marked decline in the concentration of sherds. Wares A, B, and B-C almost disappear while spicule-tempered sherds dominate a small component of Ware D material.

Considerable stylistic change was found in the ceramics of these pits, particularly in Wares A, B, and C. The Ware A material shows a progressive degeneration of decorative style in that a decrease in the frequency and degree of elaboration of decorated material is observed. As the sequence progresses, fewer techniques are employed and the designs become more careless in ex- ecution. In the early levels the painted material is characterized by a greater variety of bichrome and polychrome combinations. Red-and-white-on-plain, and white-on-red painting with negative scratched-out designs are gradu- ally replaced in popularity by cruder red-on-white motifs. Shallow broad-line incision on polished tan-colored sherds is a small minority limited to the earliest level,

whereas finer-lined incision, associated with darker reddish-brown sherds (more Barrancoid in appearance), is used throughout the sequence on rims and flanges, and to delimit rim adornos and modelled lugs. These lugs, which are reminiscent of Barrancoid material (FIG. 3c, h,

i), and fragments of hollow figurines are found exclusively in the lower two levels. In the later strata modelling is limited to various forms of handles and hemispherical lip adornos.

Several stylistic trends were noted in the ceramic sequence of Ware B, of which one of the most striking is the gradual discontinuation of fiber inclusions in the tempering material (TABLE 5). The decoration of Ware B becomes less frequent and more careless over time. In- cision is predominant throughout but declines somewhat in the third and fourth levels, as more emphasis is placed on bichrome painting. Several changes in technique and motif are found in the incised material. Particularly noteworthy is the sudden but brief popularity in level 2 of incised modes such as nicks, fingernail impressions, and alternating short incisions on the flattened lips of bowls (FIG. 4a-b). This combination, which makes up 21% of all incised modes for this level, is present neither in earlier nor later cuts. In regards to the painted decoration, we have observed that the few samples (FIG. 4h-i)

of black-and-red-on-white painting (curved and straight lines of varying widths combined to forrn geometric motifs) are found only in the earliest levels (1.25-0.50 m). This style of painting is reminiscent of the polychrome styles of the Central Amazon such as Paredao,20 and also

20. P. P. Hilbert, Archaologische Untersuchungen am Mittleren Ama- zonas. Marburger Studien zur Volkerkunde 1 (Dietrich Reimer Verlag:

PIT 1 PITS 2-5

m Si oi m Si oi

Cq z m 2 m w z m z m

Level (m) 9 < 2 2 8 2 9 < 2 2 8 2

0.00-0.25 21 7 33.33% 8 0 0.00% 0.25-0.50 44 13 29.55% 36 2 5.56% 0.50-0.75 33 11 33.33% 219 13 5.94% 0.75-1.00 61 28 45.90% 223 43 19.28% 1.00-1.25 45 14 31.11% 128 23 17.93% TotS 204 73 37.78% 614 81 13.19%

Journal of Field ArchaeologytEol. 11, 1984 167

The earliest stage is characterized by small bowls with very little decoration. The incised modes used to deco- rate rims are reminiscent of Wares A and B (FIG. 4a).

The only other decoration found consists of wide (4-5 cm) applique, incised fillets used to adorn a large vessel (FIG. 4), and basket and net impressions. During the second stage, characterized by a relative increase in frequency, additional vessel shapes are introduced (griddles, globular vessels, and bottles). New decorative modes include red-on-plain painting (FIG. 4w), hemispherical lugs on the lips of bowls (FIG. 4q), broad-line incision on outsloping flanges and on other rims (FIG. 4n) often combined with zoned red paint. These combinations are closely related to certain Saladoid styles, especially with those that show some Barrancoid influence, such as Ron- quin Sombra23 and Cotua.24 During this stage, Ware B- C attains its maximum popularity. This material appears to be another example of the exchange of modes between the potters of the site at this moment.

A minority of decorative modes found in this stage such as thin appliquetincised fillets, and deep fine-line rectilinear incision (FIG. 4r), have a distinct Arauquinoid air. These modes carry over into stage 3 where they come to dominate, along with new ones such as the incisedtexcised upturned flanges (FIG. Sb,c), mauve post- fired paint, solid figurines (FIG. Sl), and anthropomorphic lugs incorporated into the rims of bowls (FIG. Sj). Partic- ularly characteristic of this last stage are incised bands made up of alternating oblique lines, often filled with punctation or cane impression and enclosed above and below by a series of parallel horizontal lines and punc- tated collars (FIG. Sa,d,e,f). Applique features, which include coffee-bean eyes and arched eyebrows, become popular during this final stage (FIG. Sf-m).

Pit 6

This pit was dug in 10-cm levels and differs from the others in that spicule-tempered material is present in a substantial proportion in even the bottommost level where it represents more than a third of the sherds (TABLE 4).

The other notable difference is the considerable quantity of Ware D material in the more recent levels. Also significant is the higher density of sherds throughout the pit, which may be a result of the more fragmented nature of the material. Four wares (A, B, B-C, and C) (FIG. 6)

are present in the lowest level, of which Ware C is slightly predominant. This ware continues to grow in popularity up to level 0.50-0.60 m where it attains a maximum frequency of 86%. Wares A, B, and B-C decrease

23. Roosevelt, 1980 op. cit. (in note 3) l9S-196 and figs. S1, 53- SS; Rouse, 1978 op. cit. (in note 1) 204-206.

24. Cruxent and Rouse, op. cit. (in note 21) 235-236.

Table 5. Frequency of porous and non-porous Ware B material in Pits 1-5.

of the material obtained from Cueva Boulton on the Up- per Orinoco.2l In the later levels, monochrome red-on- plain painting predominates (F1G. 4g-k). Among the variations in the range of vessel shapes, it is notable that the carinated bowl with a flattened rim is found exclusively in 0.75-1.00 m, while a flanged bowl with broad-line incision and red paint on the flange, distinctly reminiscent of Barrancoid styles of the Lower Orinoco, appears in level 3.

Marked stylistic changes occur throughout the sequence in Ware C and have been discussed in detail elsewhere.22 We have distinguished three stages in the stylistic evolution of the sponge-spicule-tempered ware that correspond to the stratigraphic levels of these pits in the following manner: 1 ) earlytintrusive (0. 75-1 .25 m) 2) intermediatetexchange (0.50-0.75 m) 3) latet domination (0.00-0.50 m). These stages reflect how this ware evolved from a minority component of predomi- nantly plain sherds, ffirough a persod of exchange in which stylistic features of Wares A and B are incorporated and vice versa, into a stage of quantitative dominance and stylistic maturation where Arauquinoid modes predominate.

Berlin 1968) 91-122.

21. J. M. Cruxent and I. B. Rouse, An Archaeological Chronology of Venezuela. Pan American Union Social Science Monographs VI (Pan American Union: Washington, D.C. 1958) 210.

22. A. Zucchi and K. Tarble, "Evolucion y Antiguedad de la Alfar- eria con Esponjilla en Aguerito, un Yacimiento del Orinoco Medio," Indiana 7 (1982) 183-199.

throughout. On the other hand, Ware D reaches its highest concentration at the site in the upper levels of this pit (27% in 0.20-0.30 m).

Several stylistic trends characterize this cut, particularly in the spicule-tempered sherds that constitute the dominant material. Changes in the other wares (A, B, B-C, D, and E) are more difficult to document because of the small sample size. However, several parallels with the pattern shown for Pits 2-5 are evident in Wares A and B. As in these pits, red slip of Ware A is fairly frequent only in the early levels (up to 0.70-0.80 m in Pit 6). Several fragments of modelled thick sherds (reminiscent of Barrancoid material) are found in these same levels. The only Ware A painted sherd (white-on-red) was found in the lowest cut. Later sherds of this ware are scarce and no decoration was found.

Ware B material in this pit has a fairly high proportion of fiber temper (TABLE 6), although a tendency to decline in popularity through time is shown. Sherds from the bottom two levels present only incised decoration, whereas one with black-and-red-on-plain paint is found in 0.90-1.00 m, in addition to incised material. Another black-and-red-on-cream sherd is found in level 0.40- 0.50 m, however, no red-on-natural paint typical of the later levels of Pits 2-5 is found in this pit. Notched lips are also absent, although one outturned flattened rim shows fine-line incision on the upper surface of the lip (level 0.70-0.80 m). As in Ware A, the style degener- ates in the later levels.

The Ware C ceramics are very simple in this pit. No decoration is found up to level 0.70-0.80 m, where applique decoration (coffee-bean type) appears. Coarse ap-

Table 6. Frequency of porous and non-porous Ware B material in Pit 6.

No. porous % porous Total Ware (fiber) Ware (fiber) Ware

Level (m) B sherds B sherds B sherds

0.00-0. 10 0 0 0.00% 0.10-0.20 0 0 0.00% 0.20-0.30 0 0 0.00% 0.30-0.40 3 2 66.66% 0.40-O.S0 S 2 40.00% O.S0-0.60 3 1 33.33% 0.60-0.70 0 0 0.00% 0.70-0.80 26 11 42.31% 0.80-0.90 18 9 50.00% 0.90-1.00 16 6 37.50% 1.00-1.10 18 9 50.00% 1.10-1.20 7 1 14.29% Total 96 41 42.70%

168 Ceramic Sequence and Dates for the Aguerito SitelZucchi, Tarble, and Vaz

plique modes are also found in 0.50-0.60 m. Incision in levels 0.40-0.70 m exclusively consists of single lines. Vessels are thinner walled and sherds are extremely fragmented through level 0.40-0.50 m. These levels (1.20- 0.40 m) correspond to our first two stylistic stages established for spicule-tempered ware in Pits 2-5. Typical Arauquinoid shapes and decoration characteristic of our third stage appear in level 0.30-0.40 m where fine-line incision and punctation in rectilinear motifs and nicked applique strips are found. Mauve post-fired paint and modelling also appear.

Occupational History of the Aguerito Site

Aguerito is obviously a multicomponent site with at least four distinct ceramic complexes (Wares A, B, C, and D) present contemporaneously andtor successively. Although our excavations were not extensive, significant variations noted previously in the contents of the pits from different areas of the site (TABLE 7) permit us tentatively to reconstruct its occupational history and propose hypotheses regarding the relations between the makers of the various ceramic wares. We have divided the occupation into four periods which, with further excavations, may be refined and perhaps subdivided.

Period I

The earliest period at the Aguerito site is best represented in the area of Pit 1 where the deposit is deepest (Stage 1; see FIG. 2). The outstanding characteristic of this period is the predominance of Wares A and B. We believe that the spicule-tempered material found in these levels is intrusive and possibly the result of mixture. The lowest levels of Pits 2, 3, and 5 (TABLES 2-3) are the least mixed and present a very small percentage of Ware C material (Pit S has only one spicule-tempered sherd). Stylistic similarities between the A and B materials of these pits and the lowest levels of Pits 1, 4, and 6 lead us to postulate contemporaneity in spite of a higher percentage of spicule-tempered sherds in these latter pits. Supporting this decision is the high proportion of porous sherds, a predominance of incised decoration and the sporadic appearance of polychrome painting in the Ware B material of these levels, as well as a greater frequency of red slip and more elaborate modelled incised decoration found in the Ware A ceramics. Whether or not the absence of polychrome painting in Pit 1 is chronologi- cally significant (perhaps indicating an early fiber-tempered occupation), remains to be verified.25

Wares A and B are distinct styles, each with charac-

25. Recently excavated material is currently under analysis to resolve this problem.

A B B-C C D E TOTAL

Pit 1 274 204 5 328 32 4 847 Pit2 132 203 47 1565 141 18 2106 Pit 3 216 245 84 2301 124 10 2980 Pit 4 161 145 42 1394 179 20 1941 Pit 5 106 197 52 1390 187 13 1945 Pit 6 108 108 49 782 60 1107 Total 997 1102 279 7760 723 65 10926


Table 7. Frequency of Wares A-E in Pits 1-6.

each of the wares, which circumstance would argue against the possibility that one is ceremonial and the other strictly functional. The foregoing leads us to propose that Wares A and B represent the remains of two distinct peoples occupying the Middle Orinoco area, prior to the intrusion of spicule-tempered ceramics.

Although it seems plausible to attribute the manufac- ture of Wares A and B to two distinct peoples, it is more difficult to assess the relationship between them in the Aguerito site itself during period 1. Several possibilities exist: 1) that one of the wares represents the poKery made in situ and the other was a trade ware; 2) that members of both stylistic traditions cohabited the site, but retained their own preferred style; or 3) that the makers of the two pottery styles utilized the site alternately and the material became mechanically mixed over time. We would discount the first on the grounds that the proportion of the two wares is nearly equal and that they overlap functionally as noted previously. Chroniclers report the trading of pottery for later periods; the emphasis, however, seems to have been on specialty items such as pottery molds traded to other inland groups for gold- smelting operations; the black, flat-bottomed bowl made by the Otomacos used in the elaboration of turtle oil; or the double-spouted bottles made by the Guamos, coveted as water-cooling jugs.3l No references have been found that would indicate the acquisition through trade of a complete set of pottery by other pottery-making groups.

On the other hand, in social situations such as suggested in the second possibility, one would expect to find some indication in the pottery of influence between the two makers sharing the site (as we find, for example, later in the sequence between Wares B and C). These styles, however, are quite distinct. We feel, therefore, that it is most likely that the makers of the A and B pottery used the site alternately throughout the first period. The low concentration of sherds during this time

31. N. Morey, "Ethnohistory of the Colombian and Venezuelan Llanos," unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of Utah (Salt Lake City 1975) 254, 265.

teristic modes of paste, form, decorative zone, design layout, decorative technique, and motifs. In this early period we have not found any evidence for stylistic interchange between the makers of these wares, even though they are found associated together in several different sites in the area (Aguerito, La Gruta, Ronquin, and Ron- quin Sombra). It could be postulated that these wares represent substyles of one group of people, indicating either a social subdivision (e.g., moiety affiliation) or a functional difference (e.g., one style being ceremonial and the other utilitarian or each serving different prac- tical purposes such as culinary, storage, or serving pieces). Neither of these arguments seems valid since, on the one hand, each of these styles is found in other sites more or less singly. In the lowest level of the Ced- eno site,26 Ware B constitutes nearly 90% of the occupation, and in Cotua, sand-tempered material similar to Ware A at Aguerito dominates the site, with occasional spicule-tempered sherds present. We have also been able to trace independent developments for these styles in later periods. Whereas Ware A (Saladoid) ceramics have been shown to have spread out to the Venezuelan coast and on to the Antilles, it appears that the Ware B material followed a different route and can be related to later styles in the Western Llanos (Los Caros,27 Crescencio,28 E1 Choque,29 and other sites30). On the other hand, dis- counting variations in lip termination and decoration, there is an overlap in the basic forms (open bowls and small jars) that suggests that the two wares are not functionally different. What is more, both simple undecorated forms and also more elaborate decorated pieces are found in

26. Zucchi, unpublished survey material. Publication of the material is expected by the end of 1984.

27. Cruxent and Rouse, op. cit. (in note 21) 189-190.

28. A. Zucchi and W. Deneven, Campos Elevados e Historia Cultural Prehispanica en los Llanos Occidentales de Venezuela (Universidad Catolica Andres Bello, Instituto de Investigaciones Historicas: Caracas 1979) 38-49.

29. Ibid.

30. Zucchi, unpublished survey material; see note 26.


suggests a sporadic and perhaps seasonal utilization of the Aguerito site, which would have provided high ground in the wet season for groups that dispersed to exploit turtle beaches and better hunting and fishing grounds in the dry season. Subsistence data are scarce for this period, although the presence of heavy, thick-rimmed griddles in Ware A may indicate manioc cultivation.32 So far, we have no evidence of this sort for Ware B.

A possibility exists that part of the Ware B ceramics may be much earlier than any of the A material at Aguer- ito. While our early B material corresponds closely to fiber/sherd-tempered pottery illustrated by Roosevelt33 and Vargas34 for the earliest La Gruta Phase, no Saladoid (Ware A) ceramics in Aguerito have the stylistic characteristics common to this La Gruta Phase. Unfortu- nately, because of the small sample of Ware B, we are unable at the moment to further subdivide period 1 on stylistic grounds.

Period 2

This period commences with the intrusion into the site of a new people associated with a very simple, spicule- tempered material. Apparently this intrusion was not en- tirely disruptive because the wares already found in the site do not disappear, but rather demonstrate certain changes that would indicate the exchange of technique and stylistic modes between the groups present. The levels corresponding to this period include: 0.50-1.00 m of Pits 2-5 and 0.25-0.75 m of Pit 1 and 0.40-0.90 m of Pit 6 (see FIG. 2).

Although Rouse and Roosevelt consider the appearance of spicule-tempered material to be a local development in the Parmana region and that maize was introduced through trade, we feel that it is probable that this new ceramic style, which is associated with a distinctive subsistence strategy (maize/bean/squash agriculture) constitutes a distinct complex, intrusive to the area. Aside from the difference in tempering material, other evidence supports this proposition. Even the earliest spicule-tempered material presents distinctive lip and rim treatments and base forms on bowls and jars, and decorative techniques with no antecedents in either Ware A or B pottery (e.g., modes such as pellets, thick applique strips, coffee-bean eyes, small triangular appendages on rims, basket and net impressions on bases, etc.).35 Dis-

32. Although the griddle is not a sure indicator of manioc cultivation, as pointed out by W. De Boer, "The Archaeological Evidence for Manioc Cultivation: A Cautionary Note," AmAnt40 (1975) 419-433, its presence does allow for this possibility.

33. Roosevelt, 1980 op. cit. (in note 3) 206, 209, figs. 56, 63.

34. Vargas, op. cit. (in note 17) (Lam 15, 20).

35. Zucchi and Tarble, op. cit. (in note 22).

tinctive artifacts such as roller stamps for body painting and perforated discs possibly used as spindle whorls are also unique to the spicule-tempered ware. It likewise seems improbable that Ware C constitutes a trade ware, since there is a considerable functional overlap in the forms of all three wares, and the increasing popularity of Ware C definitely points to an occupation of the site by these potters.

As in period 1, it is difficult to determine whether the makers of Wares A, B, and now C actually cohabited the site, or if they utilized it alternately, or if the users of Ware C actually displaced the others, but maintained trade relations with them in the area. Obviously these pottery-making groups were in close contact, as can be observed in the sharing of certain manufacturing and decorative techniques. The inclusion of spicule temper in a small portion of Ware B pottery (which we have denominated B-C) and, very rarely, in the Ware A ceramics; the common use of red-on-plain paint; the in- corporation of new vessel shapes in Wares A and B similar to those found in Ware C, all demonstrate close contact, as does the utilization of typical Ware A and B modes on the spicule-tempered ware (e.g., broad-line, shallow incision in curvilinear motifs, outsloping flanged bowls, etc.).

The evidence for intimate contact between these groups is much stronger in this period than in the previous one. We therefore feel that it is justified to postulate that the site was being shared by distinct pottery-making peoples. Ample ethnohistoric evidence for inter-ethnic marriage practices, slavery, and symbiotic relationships between groups with different subsistence strategies is found in the earliest reports for the area. For example, the Saliva often intermarried with the Achagua and Canb, and mixed Achagua/Saliva villages were common on the Colom- bian side of the Middle Orinoco.36 The Wanai, who occupied the zone between the Orinoco, Parguaza, and Suapure Rivers maintained a close alliance with the Pa- reca, in which the Wanai would spend one or two months a year in the sylvatic headwaters of the Suapure with the Pareca to celebrate feasts; and, for their part, the Pareca would come down to spend time in the savanna with the Wanai. Intermarriage was a common result of this interchange.37 The Otomaco, located in the area of the confluence of the Orinoco and Apure Rivers, "frequently intermarried with other groups, especially with the Guamo with some of whom they were closely allied."38 In this case the Otomaco were an agricultural

36. Morey, op. cit. (in note 31) 139.

37. P. Henley, "Wanai: Aspectos del Pasado y del Presente del Gtupo Indigena Mapoyo,'' Antropologica 42 (1975) 29-55.

38. Morey,op.cit.(innote31) 119.


group whereas the Guamo were fishing specialists. An- other fishing group closely allied with the Otomaco were the Yaruro.39

A type of slavery is mentioned for several Orinocan groups (Saliva, Otomaco, Achagua) who used women and children captured in wars to work in their gardens. According to Morey,40 these slaves did the same type of work as any other group member, and were often incorporated into the families of their captors through marriage.

In the face of this evidence, we feel that in the Middle Orinoco area, heterogeneous archaeological levels, such as those associated with period 2 in Aguerito, may represent the remains of mixed villages, although we cannot discount the possibility that they may pertain to discrete occupations that alternated use of the site, trade wares, etc. It is important to point out that the tendency for inter-ethnic mixing seems to have increased over time, especially as a reaction to the depopulation of the area through the effects of the European conquest (disease and slavery), and the concentration and relocation of indigenous groups by the missionaries. Reflections of these phenomena should be even more evident in the archaeological record of historical sites for the area.

Certain elements point to a shift in the type of site occupation during period 2, perhaps because of a change in the subsistence base. Whereas in period 1 a small number of griddle sherds of Ware A could indicate manioc cultivation, the advent of the spicule-tempered material coincides with the first evidence of the maize/bean/ squash complex; remnants of corncobs, beans, manos, and fragments of metates are found in the levels associated with spicule-tempered sherds. The griddles of Ware C are thinner than those previously found in the site, and new vessel forms corresponding to large globular vessels could indicate new dietary and culinary practices.

The density of sherds per level also increases substantially in this period, indicating a larger and perhaps more permanent occupation. The greater concentration of spicule-tempered sherds in Pits 2, 4, and 5 and particularly in Pits 3 and 6 (TABLES 2-4) could indicate a movement in a sw direction to higher ground, away from the area of Pit 1. This may have been a reaction to heavier river flooding resulting from a prolonged period of higher rainfall. An alternative explanation could be that Pit 1 was dug in what remains of a central midden, where cultural deposits from all occupational periods had once accumulated in deep strata, such as found for period 1 refuse, with a depth of 0.50 m. In this case, Pits 2-5

and 6 would all be peripheral to the central part of the midden, and for this reason, present shallower deposits per period (FIG. 2). Posterior to the site abandonment, heavy flooding and erosion would have destroyed the upper layers of the central part of the midden, leaving deposits of eroded, late material on the surface of the area of Pit 1. This would account for the heavy concentration of late material combined with early type Ware A and B sherds in the 0.00-0.25 m level of this pit, which contrasts drastically with those pits on higher ground (compare 141.2 sherds/0.10 cu. m from level 0.00-0.25 of Pit 1 with 1 .5-20.7 sherds/0. 10 cu. m for the upper level of Pits 2-5 and 6 (TABLES 1-4).

Period 3 The third period at the Aguerito site is characterized

by a rather sudden change in the decorative modes used on spicule-tempered ceramics, and the nearly total domination of the site by the carriers of this ware. The new modes, which include rectilineal deep-line incision combined with punctation, cane impression, and occasional excision, effigy jars with applique/incised features, and mauve post-fired paint are all characteristic of styles belonging to the Arauquinoid series.

It is doubtful that the style developed out of the previous period without some kind of external influence, perhaps from the sw. Unfortunately this area's archaeological remains are virtually unknown. By this time, Wares A and B have degenerated considerably and are infrequent, as is also the case with Ware B-C. On the contrary, spicule-tempered material, which for this period is densest in Pits 2, 3, and 6, continues to show an increase in the number of sherds per level (between 77.1 and 208 sherds per 0.10 cu. m). Refuse of this ware is scattered over a large area of the surface of the site, leading us to believe that the area occupied by this time was more extensive than in earlier periods.

This period was probably characterized by an increase in intergroup trade, an inference supported by the presence of sandstone polishers which could have been used to shape and polish beads of the type found at the site. Quiripa, or strings of fresh-water shell beads, were a standard of exchange, according to early chroniclers.4l The quiripa were reported to be manufactured in the area of the Orinoco at the mouth of the Apure, precisely where the Aguerito site lies. The large ollas found in these levels could have served as communal chicha pots, another important element in Orinocan trade relations where a ceremony (mirray) involving eating, drinking, and dis-

39. Ibid. 232.

40. Ibid. 106. 41. Ibid. 257-260.

172 Cerarnic Sequence and Dates for the Aguerito SitelZucchi, Tarble, and Vaz

courses anteceded all commercial interchange.42 The levels corresponding to this period include 0.00-

0.25 m of Pit 1, 0.25-0.50 m of Pits 2-5, and 0.30- 0.40 m of Pit 6. Although this period is clearly domi- nated by the users of Ware C, it is important to stress the permanence in the area, frequently at the same sites, of both Wares A and B, although in a much simpler form.

Period 4

The final period of the site corresponds roughly to levels 0.00-0.25 m of Pits 2-5 and levels 0.00-0.30 m of Pit 6. Diagnostic of this period is the increase of Ware D material, which in Pits 3 and 6 is accompanied by a decrease in spicule-tempered ware. The density of sherds in these levels is substantially less than that of the previous period (2-45 sherds per 0.10 cu. m). The appearance and growth in popularity of Ware D is a fairly widespread phenomenon in late sites of the Middle Or- inoco area.43

At Aguerito certain similarities are found between Wares C and D, particularly in decorative technique and motif; their different disposition on the vessel surface and the difference in tempering material and vessel forms, however, lead us to believe the two wares represent two distinct peoples. In other Orinocan sites where Ware D material predominates (Buena Vista, E1 Valle) the distinction is even more evident, leading us to believe that the makers of Ware D at Aguerito were copying on their own distinctive ware modes present at the site in Ware C. It is impossible at this point to determine whether the makers of these two wares actually coexisted at the site, or whether the makers of Ware C had abandoned the area (perhaps downstream to the Lower Orinoco), which was later occupied by the new group. On the other hand, the limited range of vessel shapes in Ware D could point toward the possibility that it represents a trade ware.

The Aguerito Sequence in Relation to the La Gruta, Corozal, and Camoruco Traditions

When examining the literature for comparative material for the Aguerito sequence, we were struck by the similarities between our pottery and that described for the Parmana region by Roosevelt,44 Rouse,45 and Var-

42. R. Morey and N. Morey, "Relaciones Comerciales en el Pasado en los Llanos de Colombia y Venezuela," Montalban 4 (1975) 534- 555.

43. Zucchi, unpublished survey material; see note 26.

44. Roosevelt, 1978 op. cit. (in note 1); Roosevelt, 1980 op. cit. (in note 3).

45. Rouse, 1978 op. cit. (in note 1).

gas.46 Both sequences contain various wares, tempered with sand, sponge spicule, and dry clay and fiber, each showing considerable variability in style and frequency over time. Upon closer inspection, we determined that although our Aguerito sequence was closely related to the traditions defined for the Parmana area, it differed from them in several aspects. It does not demonstrate the stylistic complexity found in any of the wares of Parmana, and in this sense it would suggest that Aguerito was peripheral. On the other hand, two of the wares defined for Aguerito (D and E) are not described for the Parmana traditions. This fact calls attention to the great ceramic variability that is found in the area, and that probably resulted from the different social situations that characterized each occupational site of the Middle Ori- noco. Finally, the Aguerito sequence is shorter than that of Parmana and seems to correspond only to the latest phase of the La Gruta tradition (Ronquin Sombra), and the Corozal, and Camoruco traditions. Portions of our Ware B, however, correspond closely to several types described by Vargas for the lowest levels of La Gruta, and may be considerably earlier. No Ware A material from our sequence can be related to the La Gruta and Ronquin phases of Parmana.

We have drawn up a chart to demonstrate the corre- spondence between the Aguerito and Parmana ceramic sequences (FIG. 7). It appears that the earliest period in Aguerito corresponds to the Ronquin Sombra Phase, because of the low frequency of spicule-tempered ware and the nearly equal proportions of wares tempered with sand and with dry clay/fiber. The last of these wares, according to Roosevelt, was on the increase in this phase.47 In Aguerito, the sand-tempered pottery of this level has a certain Barrancoid aspect, characteristic of the Ronquin Sombra Phase (darker, more compact paste, flanged bowls, red-and-white-on-plain paint, solid zoomorphic lugs, and thinner and deeper incision than that found on La Gruta and Ronquin Phase pottery). Greatest similarities were found between Aguerito, Cotua, and Ronquin Sombra. Unfortunately, the criteria for distinguishing between Ronquin and Ronquin Sombra are not very ex- plicit in the published material, leaving room for doubt. Certain evidence, however, supports a Ronquin Sombra Phase placement as follows.

1. In the Saladoid ceramics of Aguento, several modes characteristic of the Ronquin Phase are completely lacking. Absent in Aguerito are forms predominant in Ron- quin such as the outsloping bell-shaped bowls with shallow broad-line incision or painted decoration on the

46. Vargas, 1976 op. cit. (in note 4); Vargas, 1979 op. cit. (in note 4).

47. Roosevelt, 1978 op. cit. (in note 1) 177.


interior of rectangular thickened rims48 and boat-shaped bowls.49 The bulging-necked boKle common in Ronquin5° is also absent in Aguerito. On the other hand, Howard's bowl 4, an open flanged bowl, which is rare and fairly late in Ronquin, corresponds most closely with one of Aguerito Ware A's common forms. This form is also illustrated for Ronquin Sombra. 5 1

2. There are no cross-hatched designs in Aguerito, a trait Rouse attributes to the Ronquin Phase.52

3. Neither Howard nor Vargas describe for their Ron- quin material the painted mode most common in Aguer- ito, which consists of large areas of red paint on equally large or larger areas of natural surface, where the red designs are bordered by a thin white line. Rouse illustrates this mode for the Ronquin Sombra Phase.53

4. The modelled lugs illustrated for Ronquin Sombra54 are most similar to the modelled lugs in Aguerito, although it seems that modelling was much more common and elaborate in both Ronquin and Ronquin Sombra55 than in Aguerito.

5. The forms and incised decoration on Ware A ceramics of Aguerito correspond most closely to those described for Cotua,56 a site that has been correlated with the Ronquin Sombra Phase by Rouse.57 In this site, as in Aguerito, incised flanged rims are frequent.58 The incision here is quite similar to that at Aguerito on rims of Ware A, especially in the use of parallel lines that circumscribe the rims. Also found in both collections are the hemispherical lugs incorporated into the lips of bowls.59 A similar form of bottle rim is also common to both sites,60 as well as rectangular thickening on the ex- terior of rims. Painting is infrequent in Cotua, perhaps because of the poor preservation of the sherds.

48. Howard, op. cit. (in note 16) fig. 6, I and H; Roosevelt, 1978 op. cit. (in note 1) fig. 1, G-J.

49. Howard, op. cit. (in note 16) fig. 6, m-q.

50. Ibid. 42; Rouse, 1978 op. cit. (in note 1) fig. 2, k.

51. Rouse, 1978 op. cit. (in note 1) fig. 1, n,r.

52. Ibid. 205.

53. Ibid. 219, fig. 1, m.

54. Ibid. fig. 2, v.

55. Roosevelt, slide collection, I . V . I . C .

56. J. M. Cruxent, "Archaeology of Cotua Island, Amazonas Ter- ritory, Venezuela," AmAnt 16 (1950) 10-16; Cruxent and Rouse, op. cit. (in note 21) 203-205.

57. Rouse, 1978 op. cit . (in note 1) 213, 216.

58. Cruxent, op. cit. (in note 46) fig. 6, p-s, b', c', and f'.

59. Ibid. fig. 6, s, u, x.

60. Cruxent and Rouse, op. cit. (in note 21) fig. 172, 11 a-b.

On the other hand, Ware B found in this period has marked similarities with the ash-, carbon-, and dried- clay-tempered material found by Vargas61 in the lowest levels of the La Gruta sequence. The similarities include a large portion of porous material (La Gruta Carbon and La Gruta Ceniza), parallel incised decoration on carinated vessel walls (La Gruta Estampada), and short incisions on rims (La Gruta Incision Corta). Vessel shapes also correspond closely. Roosevelt also illustrates similar material for the La Gruta Phases. It is the presence of related B material at Aguerito, but the absence of any La Gruta or Ronquin Phase sand-tempered pottery, that leads us to propose the possibility of an early Ware B occupation at the site, with the posterior advent of a Ronquin Sombra sand-tempered pottery occupation. Un- fortunately, our comparisons are complicated by the fact that neither Vargas nor Roosevelt clearly separates an equivalent of our B component as a distinct entity, but treat it as part of phases that have been defined mainly on the basis of the sand- and, later, spicule-tempered pottery. We are informed by Vargas, for example, that the La Gruta Fine Line Incised Type includes sherds both with sand and dried-clay temper; we are unable, however, to determine which motifs are associated with which temper.

Period 2 in Aguerito is closely related to the Corozal Phases,62 in the earliest of which, according to Roose- velt:

. at least half of the sherds are sand or fiber-sand-sherd63 tempered and bear characteristic La Gruta decoration. The rest are sponge-tempered and bear the new Corozal decorative modes (fine-line incision, crude applique work and bi-chrome and polychrome painting). There are also a few sponge-tempered sherds of the La Gruta Tradition shape or decoration.64

Cylinder stamps appear during this phase in both sites. On the other hand, the third period at Aguerito corresponds to the Camoruco Phases established by the same author. In both Aguerito and Parrnana the vast majority of sherds of these phases are heavily tempered with sponge spicules. Applied, modelled, and incised deco-

61. Vargas, op. cit. (in note 17) 88-152.

62. We are referring to the Corozal Phases established by Rouse and Roosevelt. Vargas does not discriminate a similar phase, although she utilizes the name "Corozal" to designate her latest phase, which corresponds to the Camoruco Phase of Rouse and Roosevelt.

63. Roosevelt and Rouse identify the temper inclusions of this ware as fiber, sand, and crushed sherd, whereas Vargas describes them as charcoal, ash, dried clay, and sand. Following chemical and thin- section analysis of our Ware B material we tend to agree that it contains particles of dried clay and some charcoal and sand.

64. Roosevelt, 1978 op. cit. (in note 1) 177.

Phase: La Gruta, C-14 Dates: Corozal, Parmana C-14 and Ca- Dates for Characteristics shared by Aguer- moruco Phase: La Gruta, ito and Phases of the Camoruco, Traditions Ronquin Ronquin, Corozal, and La Gruta Tradi-

Aguerito (Rouse Short Long and Co- and Co- tions (based on Rouse, 1978, and Aguerito C-14 Aguerito and Roo- Chronol- Chronol- rozal rozal Roosevelt, 1978 and 1980, all Periods Dates TL Dates sevelt) ogy ogy (Vargas) (Vargas) op. cit. [in notes 1 and 3]).

4 Not Not Not present at Parmana present at present at La Gruta La Gruta

3 1705 A.C. 1267 A.C. Camoruco 1495 A.C. 750 A.C. Corozal 1460 A.C. 1) Sponge-spicule ware 1114 A.C. I-III 1480 A.C. 780 A.C. 1400 A.C. predominates.

1400 A.C. 1100 A.C. 2) Applique ridges with punctate 1385 A.C. or cane impression. 1325 A.C. 3) Effigy jars with applique/ 1280 A.C. incised features. 1235 A.C. 4) Polychrome painting dies out. 1200 A.C. 5) Sharp rectilinear incision on 1190 A.C. collars and flanges. 1120 A.C.

1090 A.C.

1050 A.C.

2 200 B.P. 1059 A.C. Corozal 995 A.C. 210 A.C. ? 1) In the earliest levels, at least 200 B.P. 893 A.C. II-III 50% of the sherds are

1465 A-C 830 AC Corozal I- 700 B.C. ? tempered either with sand or 1285 A.C. 550 A.C. II 855 B.C. crushed sherd/fiber. The rest 1120 A.C. are spicule tempered. 1110 A.C. 2) Some sherds found with La 1065 A.C. Gruta tradition form or

955 A.C. decoration, but with spicule 715A.C. temper.

3) Bowls and cups most common forms in Saladoid material.

4) Applique/incised representations of human faces make first appearance.

5) Polychrome (red, brown, and black-on-white) painting.

6) Rectilinear and curvilinear incision (non-Arauquinoid) on spicule ware.

7) A gradual loss of solid zoomorphic lugs in sand- tempered ware.

8) First appearance of cylinder stamps.


Figure 7. Chronological and stylistic comparisons of Aguerito and other phases from the Parmana area.

Figure 7. (Continued).

Phase: La Gruta, C-14 Dates: Corozal, Parmana C-14 and Ca- Dates for Characteristics shared by Aguer- moruco Phase: La Gruta, ito and Phases of the Camoruco, Traditions Ronquin Ronquin, Corozal, and La Gruta Tradi-

Aguerito (Rouse Short Long and Co- and Co- tions (based on Rouse, 1978, and Aguerito C-14 Aguerito and Roo- Chronol- Chronol- rozal rozal Roosevelt, 1978 and 1980, all Periods Dates TL Dates sevelt) ogy ogy (Vargas) (Vargas) op. cit. [in notes 1 and 3]).

1 460 A.C. 604 A.C. Ronquin 730 A.C. 1020 B.C. ? 1) Substantial increase of H1ber/ 400 A.C. 569 A.C. Sombra 710 A.C. crushed-sherd-tempered

781 A.C. sherds. 940 B.C. 978 A.C. 2) Tendency in sand-tempered 810 B.C. 552 A.C. ware to be darker, redder, and

more compact. 2030 B.C. 436 A.C. 3) Flanged bowls appear. 3730 B.C. 828 A.C. 4) Red-and-white-on-plain 3475 B.C. painting appears.

5) Incision is finer and deeper. 6) Solid zoomorphic lugs with

Barrancoid air in sand- tempered ware.

Ronquin 435 A.C. Ronquin Not present in Aguerito. 390 A.C. Temprano 335 A.C.

230 A.C.

La Gruta 305 A.C. 1585 B.C. La Gruta 655 B.C. Not present in Aguerito. 1760 B.C. 1370 B.C.

2115 B.C.

2140 B.C.


ration predominates in a typically Arauquinoid style. Characteristic shared elements include bands of alternating oblique lines filled with dots or cane impressions, effigy vessels with incised collars, and applique features on the upper body, double-spouted bottles, thin griddles, and post-fired sgraffito painting in which two layers of different colors of slip are applied to vessel surfaces and designs are scratched through the upper layer to expose the contrasting color below. As in Parmana, the number of sherds per level increases greatly as the sequence progresses (TABLE 7). The fourth period at Aguerito cannot be related to the Parmana sequence where Ware D material is absent.

Chronology Having discussed the occupational history and its re-

lationship with the Parmana sequence, we will now pro-

ceed to examine the absolute dates obtained at Aguerito and relate them to the three chronologies previously established for the area.

In 1978, Rouse presented a chronological chart for the Middle Orinoco that incorporated the absolute-age determinations that were available for this area at that moment, both from his and Roosevelt's research in the Parmana area, as well as from Zucchi's work at the Ca- moruco site.65 The basic structure of his chart is based on Roosevelt's cultural sequence.66 All of the C-14 age determinations were grouped into two chronologies (FIG.

7) that begin with La Gruta and end with Camoruco. The first of these spans from the end of the 3rd millennium B.C. to ffie 16 century A.C., whereas the second, a shorter

65. Rouse, 1978 op. cit. (in note 1) 217.

66. Roosevelt, 1978 op. cit. (in note 1).

Table 8. TL ages for six intervals at Aguerito, Venezuela.

Depth No. of TL age of sherds interval Sherds Ware (A.C.)

0.3-0.4 m 1 D 1114 (+78) 2 D 1267 (+71)

0.6-0.7m 1 A 893(+130) 2 A 1059(+127)

0.7-0.8 m 1 A 830 (+ 142) 2 A 550 (+ 172)

0.9-1.0 m 1 A 604 (+213) 2 A 569 (+216)

l.0-l.lm 1 A 781(+178) 2 A 978 (+143) 3 B 552 (+222)

1.1-1.2m 1 A 436(+222) 2 A 828(+158)

Accumulated radiation dose Radiation dose per year


one, begins around 185 A.C. Rouse defends the longer sequence on the grounds that 1) only it can account for the early appearance (1000 B.C.) of Saladoid and Bar- rancoid material in the Lower Orinoco (both of which Rouse believes to have originated in the Parmana region); 2) the polychrome pottery of the Corozal Phase is related to Cano del Oso pottery of the Western Llanos, which dates from 1000 s.c.;67 and 3) the charcoal samples obtained from the most reliable contexts (living floors and hearths) all gave C-14 dates that support the long chronology.

On the other hand, Vargas and Sanoja favor a modi- fied short chronology that places the La Gruta phase in the second half of the 1st millennium B.C. (665 B.C.) or slightly earlier.68 Vargas points out close resemblances between the La Gruta material and that of Early Ronquin whose absolute dates all range between 230 A.C. and 435 A.C. (see FIG. 7). This author contends that the acceptance of Rouse's dates of 1760 B.C.-2140 B.C. for La Gruta would imply a complete stagnation of ceramic style for more than 1,500 years between the La Gruta and Ron- quin Phases. Obviously, one way to establish which of the two proposed chronologies is the correct one is to utilize an independent dating technique in these sites.

We decided to apply thermoluminescent dating in Aguerito because the C-14 age determinations presented irregularities similar to those found in Parmana, with the added inconvenience that in Aguerito, none of the carbon was found in a cultural feature such as the hearths in La Gruta. Although not as accurate as C-14 dating, TL of- fers the archaeologist the possibility of dating pottery in sites in which organic remains are either not found or are contaminated. We hoped that directly dating the ceramics themselves at Aguerito would resolve the controversy that has arisen because of the three C- 14 chronologies obtained for Middle Orinoco sites.

Thermoluminescence (TL) is the transient luminescent emission produced by most minerals when heated to a few hundred degrees Celsius, after they have been exposed to nuclear radiation. It represents the release of energy acquired by absorption from the radiation, which has been stored in the crystal lattice of the minerals as trapped charges (electrons and holes). In crystals such as quartz, the charges may remain trapped for hundreds or thousands of years at normal ambient temperatures.

67. A. Zucchi, "New Data on the Antiquity of Polychrome Painting from Venezuela," AmAnt 37 (1972) 439-446. Although polychromy appeared in the Llanos during the 1st millennium B.C., we believe that its antiquity per se is not conclusive evidence for an early placement of Corozal, since the Cano del Oso polychrome painting endured without significant changes up to Phase C of this complex (ca. 650 A.C.) .

68. Vargas, 1979 op. cit. (in note 4) 226.

When the irradiated mineral is heated up to temperatures below red heat, the trapped charges escape from their traps and may recombine, emitting light (thermoluminescence) as they do so.

Pottery usually contains small amounts of minerals (quartz, fbldspar, apatite, and zircon) that can be used as TL dosimeters of the environmental radiation produced by the decay of radioactive isotopes in both the pottery and the surrounding soil. At the time of kiln- firing, the geologically accumulated TL in the pottery is released and the TL clock is reset at zero; from this episode on, the TL build-up in the pottery is directly proportional to the accumulated radiation exposure (in- cluding cosmic-ray background) to which it has been subjected since firing. Once the total radiation dose accumulated by the pottery has been determined from its TL glow curve, and the radiation-dose rate to which it has been exposed has been measured in the laboratory, the age of the ware since kiln-firing may be directly obtained from the following equation.

Age =

For the measurements presented here, fragments from the internal part of 13 sherds from six levels of Pit 6 at Aguerito were crushed and sieved, and the quartz fraction of each of the sherds separated in a magnetic separator for TL dating using the quartz-inclusion technique.69 The sherds analyzed were mainly selected from Wares A and

69. S. Fleming, "Thermoluminescent Dating: Refinement of the Quartz Inclusion Method," Archaeometry 12 (1970) 133-145.

Sample No. Pit Level (m) Years B.P. Date

Gx 6262 1 0.00-0.25 245+ 130 1705 A.C.

Gx 6263 1 0.25-0.50 <200 Modern Gx 6264 1 0.75-1.00 1550+ 170 400 A.C.

I - 10.008 1 0.75-1.00 1490+105 460 A.C.

I - 9.450 1 1.00-1.25 2760+ 90 810 B.C.

Gx 6265 2 0.25-0.50 485 + 120 1465 A.C.

Gx 6266 2 0.50-0.75 840+ 120 1110 A.C.

Gx 6267 2 0.75-1.00 665 + 120 1285 A.C.

Gx 5178 2 0.75-1.00 830+ 125 1120 A.C.

Gx 5181 2 1.00-1.25 5425 + 195 3475 B.C.

Gx 6268 3 0.50-0.75 <200 Modern Gx 5179 3 0.75-1.00 1235 + 135 715 A.C.

Gx 6269 3 1.00-1.25 2890+ 145 940 B.C.

Gx 5180 4 1.00-1.25 3980+ 150 2030 B.C.

I - 10.006 5 0.25-0.50 885 + 110 1065 A.C.

I - 10.007 5 0.50-0.75 995+115 955 A.C.

I - 10.009 5 1.00-1.25 5680+165 3730 B.C.


Table 9. Radiocarbon determinations for the Aguerito site.

remaining three levels.72 The table shows that the age of the ceramics increases with depth in the stratigraphic sequence, from about 1267 A.C. in the 0.30-0.40 m level to 436 A.C. in the lowest level of Pit 6. These dates agree well with the corresponding phases of the short C-14 chronology proposed for these sites, and it would be difficult to introduce a large enough error in the TL-age calculations to reach the ages suggested by the long chronology.73 In the next paragraphs both the TL and the C- 14 dates (TABLE 9) are examined in relation to the Aguer- ito ceramic sequence, beginning the discussion with the later periods.

Period 4

No dates are available for the levels corresponding to period 4. Two Ware D sherds, however, characteristic of this last period from levels 0.30-0.40 m (period 3), yielded TL dates of 1114 A.C. and 1267 A.C. We may conclude, therefore, that period 4 commenced around this time. The lack of historical artifacts suggests that it ended prior to European contact.

72. The maximum percentage of water uptake in samples and soils was determined experimentally and its variation with depth was as- sumed on the basis of observed increased moisture content in the pit as the excavations progressed.

73. The results of the experimental measurements (TL and radiation dose rates) are not presented here, in accordance with the suggestion raised at the 2nd specialist seminar on TL dating. They may be obtained by writing to J. E. Vaz.

D since these wares present a higher proportion of quartz in the tempering material. A sample of Ware B (fiber/ clay tempered) material, however, was also dated to check the possibility of a very early fiber-temper occupation in the area of this pit.

The TL equipment used for this study has been described earlier.70 To obtain their TL glow curves, 15 mg aliquots of the samples were heated linearly to 450° C at 10° C per second in a nitrogen atmosphere.

Gross alpha-count rates and the conversion factors cal- culated by Sasidharan et al.71 were used to determine the beta-ray and gamma-ray dose rates resulting from uranium and thorium in the sherds and their surrounding soils. The potassium concentration in the samples and in the soils was determined via atomic absorption spectrom- etry. For the measurement of the accumulated radiation exposure of the pottery, unheated aliquots of the quartz fraction of each sherd were irradiated with gamma rays from a Cesium 137 source.

The results of the TL dating for our pottery are presented in Table 8. Because of the wetness of the soil at Aguerito, the ages obtained were corrected for water uptake assuming a water uptake in sherd and soil of 10% and 15%, respectively, for the 0.30-0.40 m level; 15% and 20%, respectively, for the 0.6()-0.70 m and the 0.70- 0.80 m levels; and 20% and 30%, respectively, for the

70. J. E. Vaz and J. M. Cruxent, ''Determination of the Provenience of Majolica Pottery Found in the Caribbean Area Using its Gamma- Ray Induced Thermoluminescence," AmAnt 40 (1975) 71-82.

71. R. Sasidharan, C. M. Sunta, and D. S. Nambi, "TL Dating: Error Implications in Case of Undetermined U-Th Concentration Ratio in Pottery Samples," Ancient TL 2 (1978) 8-11.


Period 3 In our discussion we mentioned that period 3 of our

sequence relates to the Camoruco Phases of Parmana. We have only one C-14 date for this period (1705 A.C.),

which seems too late in absence of historical artifacts. Since the D material, however, is always associated with the Arauquinoid cauxi-tempered pottery, in Aguerito as in other sites of the area, the two TL dates cited previously are in perfect accord with the chronological placement of the Camoruco Phases between 1050 A.C. and 1495 A.C. (see FIG. 7).

Period 2 For period 2, which relates to the Corozal Phases, a

total of 13 dates were obtained, four of which are TL (FIG. 7). Three of the C-14 dates must be discussed sep- arately because of their irregularity. Two of them, obtained from the upper levels of Pit 1 (200 B.P. and 1465 A.C.), seem to be too recent. The recent dates could be explained in reference to a reconstruction of the erosive processes that have obviously affected the site (FIG. 2).

As we saw in Figure 2, Pit 1 is located precisely in the area that has been most heavily eroded by the annual fluctuations of the Orinoco. The third aberrant C-14 date (200 B.P.) from level 0.50-0.75 m of Pit 3 can be attributed to contamination of the sample, since a modern carbonized tree root was present in the pit. Although we attempted to eliminate all of this modern charcoal during the excavation, apparently some remained.

The six remaining C-14 dates corresponding to this period range between 715 A.C. and 1285 A.C., while the thermoluminescence dates fall between 550 A.C. and 1059 A.C. (FIG. 7). Taking into consideration the error incorporated in both sets, one sees that they are essentially equivalent and in agreement with the date of 995 A.C.

assigned to Corozal in the short chronology of Rouse and Roosevelt.

Period I For the levels that comprise this period, a total of six

C-14 and seven TL dates have been obtained. Of the latter, six correspond to Ware A material and range between 436 A.C. and 978 A.C. These sherds are related stylistically to Roosevelt's Ronquin Sombra Phase and agree well with the placement of this phase in the short chronology (730 A.C. and 710 A.C.). Additional support for this placement is found in the dates of the preceding Ronquin Phase, all of which fall between 230 A.C. and 435 A.C. (FIG. 7). Two of our C-14 dates (400 A.C. and 460 A.C.) align well with our earliest TL determination and seem to date the transition period between the Ron- quin and Ronquin Sombra Phases.

The last TL determination obtained from Ware B material yielded a date of 552 A.C., which agrees perfectly well with the transition period we have mentioned and supports the coexistence at the Aguerito site of both A and B peoples during this period.

On the contrary, the C-14 dates from the bottom levels of Pits 1-4 can be divided into two groups: the first, with dates ranging from 810 B.C. to 940 B.C., and the second with determinations that fall between 2030 B.C.

and 3730 B.C. At present we are inclined to accept the two dates corresponding to the 1st millennium B.C., as possibly dating our postulated early B material. As we have shown, this material is very similar to the carbon- ash-clay pottery described by Vargas for her cuts of period 1 at La Gruta, and apparently also with the fiber- sherd material described by Rouse and Roosevelt for their La Gruta Phase. Some of the C-14 dates obtained for this material by these authors agree remarkably well with the two 1st millennium B.C. dates of Aguerito (Var- gas: 655 B.C. and 1370 B.C.; Rouse: 1585 B.C.). Vargas does not accept her earliest date, although it fits perfectly well in her seriated sequence.

As we have suggested, there is the possibility of the existence of a very early B component in the Middle Orinoco Area. The dates obtained by the different authors corresponding to the 3rd and 4th millennium should not be rejected without a careful examination, especially those obtained from reliable contexts, such as hearths and living floors. We must not overlook the possibility of an early and extended ceramic horizon in the tropical lowlands of South America unrelated either to the Sa- ladoid or Barrancoid traditions, exemplified by the pottery of Puerto Hormiga,74 Monsu in Colombia,75 and Mina in Brazil,76 and related to the beginnings of Trop- ical Forest agricultural practices.

Conclusions

As we have seen so far, Aguerito represents a multicomponent pre-Hispanic site whose occupation possibly extended from the beginnings of the first millennium B.C.

to shortly before the European amval. Several important facts regarding the prehistory of the Middle Orinoco have come to light during this research, such as the discrim- ination of new ceramics-bearing groups, the determina-

74. G. Reichel-Dolmatoff, Excavaciones Arqueologicas en Puerto Hormiga, Departamento de Bolfvar. Publicaciones de la Universidad de Los Andes, AntropologEa 2 (Bogota 1965).

75. G. Reichel-Dolmatoff, "Colombia Indigena Periodo Prehis- panico," in Manual de Historia de Colombia, Vol. I (Procultura S.A.: Colombia 1982) 49-57.

76. M. F. Simoes, ''Programa Nacional de Pesquisas Arqueologicas na Bacia Amazonica,'' Acta Amazonica 7 (1978) 297-300.

Journal of Field Archaeology/Vol. 11, 1984 179

tion of the coexistence of peoples in the site as manifested in the exchange of ceramic techniques, and the survival of early ceramic traditions in the area, in spite of partial migration of these populations to other areas and the posterior immigrations of new groups into the Orinoco. The results of TL dating clearly support the short chronology of Rouse from the Ronquin Sombra Phase on- wards and all the C-14 dates from the previous Ronquin Phase, which range between 230 A.C. and 435 A.C., CO-

incide with this version (FIG. 7). On the other hand, we have postulated that the earliest C- 14 dates obtained from Aguerito and the Parmana area may be related to an early occupation by users of fiber-tempered ceramics, unrelated either to the Saladoid or Barrancoid traditions.

In our discussion we have proposed that the Aguerito site was populated by four different groups, each identified by a distinct ceramic ware. Two of these wares (A and C) have been previously identified as pertaining to Saladoid and Arauquinoid traditions. Material similar to our Ware B has been distinguished by all authors work- ing in the area, but, because of their small sample size, it has been generally considered as part of the Saladoid Tradition. The substantial collection of this ware at Aguerito and at other sites in the area (e.g., Cedeno) has allowed us to isolate this component as pertaining to a distinct social group, which we believe may be quite early in the zone. The fourth component, Ware D, on the other hand, has not been previously reported; it seems to represent a late invasion by a new group. This invasion is also evidenced in other sites of the area surveyed during 1976-1977.

The ethnohistorical record indicates that during pre- Hispanic times the region was rather densely populated by a multiplicity of ethnic groups bonded together by marriage and warfare alliance, trade, and symbiotic subsistence relationships. Previously the archaeological reconstruction of the population of the Middle Orinoco had been overly simplistic, since it recognized the presence of only two population groups: Saladoid and Arauqui- noid. In recent years, however, Rouse and Roosevelt have expanded the archaeological knowledge of the area, not only by identifying two new phases in the Saladoid Tradition (La Gruta and Ronquin Sombra), and three in the Arauquinoid (Camoruco I, II, and III), but also by defining the Corozal Phases, which they consider to be a distinct group. These authors, however, consider the phases to correspond to successive occupations. The Aguerito site, on the other hand, supports the ethnohistorical picture regarding the multiplicity and coexistence of groups in favored sites. As we have shown, the ceramic and, probably, the ethnic composition of the site varied through time. Although not all our components were present at the site during all periods, we have pre-

sented evidence to support the coexistence of more than one group at the site at different points in the sequence.

We can summarize the occupation of the Aguerito site in the following manner. At the inception of the occupation (ca. 1000 B.C.) the site was used sporadically by a small population of Early B people with a subsistence based mainly on hunting, fishing, gathering, and incip- ient agriculture. This occupation would be contemporaneous with the La Gruta (1000 B.C.-200 B.C.) and the later Ronquin Phase (200 B.C.-400 A.C.) of Parmana. Around 400 A.C., A and B peoples were using the site either simultaneously or alternately. We have evidence for manioc cultivation corresponding to this period. Peo- ple using spicule-tempered ceramics appear at the site ca. 600 A.C., and a substantial population increase begins. As in Parmana,77 this occupational period is associated with the introduction of the maize/bean/squash agricultural complex. Rather than displacing the original A and B inhabitants, the C groups seem to have shared the site with them. Evidence of this interaction is the appearance of the B-C Ware and also the interinfluences noted in all three wares. The Barrancoid influence from the Lower Orinoco, already evident in the Ware A ceramics of the previous period, is notable now on the cauxi-tempered pottery, attesting to continuous interac- tions between the Middle and Lower Orinoco areas.

The third period of Aguerito (1000 A.C.) sees the clear dominance of the site by the C people who are now clearly in the Arauquinoid Tradition, indicating foreign influences from the sw. The A and B people have almost disappeared from the Aguerito site. The presence of the Cotua and Los Caros styles seems to suggest an outward movement of these groups; a few sherds of these wares found at Aguerito and other sites corresponding to this period, however, indicate continued commercial relations between the Arauquinoids and these peoples. Dur- ing the third period a new ceramic complex appears. We believe its bearers to be contemporaneous with the Late C population since their decorative motifs are nearly identical. The decrease in the frequency of Ware C material during the fourth period (1200-1400 A.C.) fits well with the last expansive movement of the Arauquinoid population,78 which affected the lower Orinoco, the Guianas, and the Western Llanos.

As a last point, we would like to emphasize the ben- efits of the application of TL analysis to Middle Orinoco sites. By dating the sherds themselves, one can date ceramic components as well as stratigraphic levels. This


78. A. Zucchi, "La Variabilidad Ecologica y la Intensificacion de la Agricultura en los Llanos Venezolanos," in Wagner and Zucchi, eds., op. cit. (in note 1) 349-365.


procedure is especially important in areas where observable natural stratigraphy is lacking and erosive processes have caused mixed contexts. Under these circumstances, TL dating can also be helpful in interpreting C-14 determinations. The interpretation of the TL results, however, depends directly on the quality of the stylistic classification of the ceramic materials.

Acknowledgments

Our most sincere gratitude is due to Professor Donald W. Lathrap for reading previous versions of this paper and for providing invaluable criticisms and suggestions. We truly appreciated the advice, even if it was not always followed. Dr. Carlos Schubert visited the site to check the stratigraphic profiles and made the grain-size analysis. Lilliam Arvelo participated in the Orinoco Sur- vey and did a preliminary classification of the ceramic material from Pit 1. Erika Wagner provided valuable bibliographic material and comments. Carlos Quintero made all the drawings and Daniel Blanco did the pho- tographs. Morelba Navas and Cinthia Urdaneta typed the manuscript. Luisa Ravelo and Victor Betancourt helped with the TL processing. All the C-14 determinations were financed with a grant (proyecto S T-0884) from CONICIT (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Technologicas). MARAVEN (Filial de Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A.) prepared the thin sections. Alejandro Barazarte and Bartolome Rodriguez helped lighten the physical load of the excavation. Special thanks are due to the small but most hospitable population of Aguerito for literally opening up their front yards to archaeological research. The comments by I. B. Rouse and P. J. Watson were most beneficial in the final revision of this paper.

has been since receiving his Ph. D. in Geochemistry from George Washington University in 1969. His research interests lie in radiation damage in minerals and its applications in geology and archaeology.

The current mailing address for the three authors is: Depto. de AntropologEa I.V.I.C. Apartado 1827 Caracas, Venezuela 1010 -A

Alberta Zucchi is an Investigador Asociado Titular at the Department of Anthropology of the Venezuelan Scientific Research Institute (I . V.I . C. ), Caracas. Her published works are concerned with the prehistory of the Western Venezuela Llanos. Zucchi is presently a Professor at the Venezuelan Central University and is President of the Venezuelan Archaeological Association.

Kay Tarble is a Research Associate in the Department of Anthropology at the Venezuelan Scientific Research Institute, Caracas. She has participated in archaeological projects on the eastern shore of Lake Maracaibo and in the Middle Orinoco region, with a particular interest in the analysis of ceramic style.

J. Eduardo Vaz is Investigador Titular at the Venezuelan Institute of Scientlfic Research, where he

Technology

The ceramic sequence and new tl and c 14 dates for the agüerito site of the middle orinoco venezuela