Archaeologists from all over the world could soon be descending on St. Thomas to explore a 2,000-year-old Pre-Columbian site found by the Department of Public Works while construction continued this week on the Rothschild Francis Square Enhancements project.
The site was discovered on Krondprindsens Gade (Main Street) between Strande and General Gades. Speaking by phone Wednesday night, Public Works Commissioner Darryl Smalls said it is important that the exact location of the site not be revealed to avoid any possible public disturbance.
In a press release sent out earlier in the day, Smalls said artifacts found in the area include “hundreds of whelk shells, hundreds of pottery fragments and some bone.”
“Specialists in this period in St. Thomas history have reviewed the site and the artifacts found and have said that it is one of the most important sites of its age on St. Thomas. It may be as complex as the village found when the Tutu Mall was built,” Smalls said in the release.
Over the phone, he added that an excavation of the site is forthcoming and will begin once a team of archaeologists arrive in the territory. The discovery has attracted attention and others want to be involved in the process, Smalls explained.
The site is described in the release as a “midden,” which, in archaeological terms, means an area containing bones, shells and other artifacts that are associated with a human settlement. These items are important for archaeologists looking to study the day-to-day life of historical people.
“Some of the pottery found at the site is decorated with what appear to be stylized eyes,” Smalls said in the release. “The pottery is beautifully made, thin with very smooth surfaces. From this, the archaeologists can learn about what the first people of Charlotte Amalie ate, their environment and their life.”
Public Works and its contractor, along with the Department of Planning and Natural Resources and the State Historic Preservation Society, worked together to decide how best to preserve the area.
Smalls said that wire fencing will be put up and security posted nearby to protect the site before and during excavation.
The release said that the intersection of Strande Gade and Curacao Gade will be closed to thru traffic and that “pedestrian walkways will be maintained at all times.”
Some work in the area will have to stop, but Smalls said Public Works will be able to continue with its planned renovation of the Main Street area.
“The archaeological team will work to move this archaeological dig ahead with an understanding that Carnival festivities are also fast approaching,” Smalls said in the release. “At this time we ask for the public’s patience and understanding as we endure this delay of the current Market Square project,” he said.
Depending on what is found, Smalls said over the phone Wednesday, he hopes the site will be able to be used as an educational tool for the public – particularly for students who might want to visit the site and see what the archaeologists dig up.
