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... cont. from page 59
In any case if this area has not been disturbed by ploughing it would be a very good site for excavation as many artifacts especially adze fragments have been recovered in close proximity, while the sand is more nearly soil and very dark. The collection of artifacts included more hammerstones some pearl shell a number of adze fragments as well as a few assorted flake tools, probably the total collection of artifacts from this site would be 50 or more without considering all the flake tool material, this compared with the normal field where one is lucky to find 3 or 4 objects (as at ATIAHARA #4 or 5 points out the difference and of importance of artifact rich zones. From TIIRUA I proceeded to some red soil sites around the Parcelle 277 (453) Cemetary that have been recently tilled and most of these sites have already been stripped of the obvious artifacts, while shell and coral does not long survive and so these sites seem particularly barren in comparison with sand sites. Erroded fragments of coral and shell are however a good guide in locating artifact rich areas in soil sites, these are also easily seen at a distance. A good rule of thumb being that wherever two or three artifacts are found many more are usually nearby. I did manage by shear good luck to stumble on a 4F fragment around Parcelle 301 TEHAUTAPUARII where a number of other fragments have been recovered this rare type I have illustrated on the opposite page. TUBUAI ARTIFACTS Adze fragment, Type 4Fa 453-301-4Fa-1f This fragment was found on the surface after recent tilling of Parcelle TEHAUTAPUARII (453-301), proportionately it is very similar to a fragment illustrated in Volume 12 (page 57) however that specimen is much better formed than this rather irregular example. These adzes look to be small versions of Buck's Samoan type VII and or Green and Davidsons Type X. Probably it is somewhere between Type VI and VII, well ground on the front and sides it is thus recognizable as an adze fragment however it's irregular shape and broken state makes it barely recognizable as anything at all. The importance of this adze form may be considerable as they may be a rare early type. |
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