A Saladoid Adorno from Brighton Beach

In this episode we will discuss the ceramic faces that adorned the rims, handles and walls of pots made by the indigenous people of the Caribbean. The object that is central to this episode comes from the Brighton Beach site on St. Vincent. Listen to us talk about the iconography, symbolism and archaeological context of this beautiful example of these quintessentially pre-colonial objects. Also we will explain why a Saladoid is not a type of salad dressing, but one of the major cultural phenomena of the Caribbean in the first millennia BC and AD.

To look at while you listen to us:

The adorno from Brighton Beach, as seen from the front

The Brighton Beach Adorno, held by Angus, showing its hollow backside.

Some further reading:

• Report by Dr. Boomert and Angus on the Brighton Beach site excavations of 2011.
• Some papers by Lawrence Waldron (CUNY) on iconography and more!
• PDF of The Cosmic Zygote by Peter Roe, friend of the show!
• An older paper on the archaeology of St. Vincent by Louis Allaire and Davy Duval

Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter @theshoresoftime about what animal you think this object represents. We’d also love to know how we can improve the way we share the stories of the Caribbean and its objects.

We’ll speak to you next time, and remember: In this great future you can’t forget your past!

Acknowledgements: This podcast was made possible thanks to financial support by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). Alice is employed by University of Leicester’s School of Ancient History and Archaeology and Angus works at Stanford University’s Archaeology Center. The excavations at Brighton Beach were undertaken by Leiden University’s Caribbean Research group and The St. Vincent and the Grenadines National Heritage Trust. The excavations were led by dr. Arie Boomert and Angus Mol and financially supported by the NWO as part of the Communicating Communities in the Circum-Caribbean VICI-grant.