A Greenstone Frog from Argyle 2, St. Vincent
In this episode Alice and Angus find themselves on a bit of a slippery slope as they have to make sense of a Greenstone Frog. This frog is found on a Saladoid site in St. Vincent: Argyle 2. It was found in very peculiar circumstances, but still it is far from unique as there are thousands and thousands of these froggies that are found in the Caribbean islands, mainlands, Andes, Mesoamerica, Central America and even the Southeastern USA. Why is that we can find highly similar objects so far afield? And why have these objects been connected to femininity and nurturing by some Caribbean scholars? Why is Puerto Rico the island that never sleeps (hint: it is not only because of their great parties)? Listen to this episode of “A History of the Caribbean in 100 Objects” and find out!
To look at while you listen to us:
A top view of the Greenstone Frog from Argyle 2. This and the two photos below have been taken by Hayley Mickleburgh.
Bottom view of the Greenstone Frog from Argyle 2.
Side view of the Greenstone Frog from Argyle 2.
A map with the places mentioned in this episode
A photo of Argyle 1 and 2 in 2010. Argyle 2 is in the background, where the construction of the Argyle jetport had already destroyed large parts of the the site.
The other frog found at Argyle 2 excavated by the University of Calgary team, some months prior to the find by Hayley Mickleburgh. Photo taken by Margarita J. de Guzman.
Further reading:
- Arie Boomert’s seminal work on Greenstone frogs as gifts of the Amazon, can be read here.
- Pané’s account, including the story of the frog children, can be ordered here.
- Hayley Mickleburgh’s PhD thesis also describes her dental anthropological work on St. Vincent. It is a bit technical, but for those who invest in it, you can read the dental record and it has lots of cool stories to tell.
- Unfortunately we do not have access to the report by Circle CRM groups of their excavations at Argyle 2, but there are some blogs that can be still found on their website
Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter @theshoresoftime if you have other ideas about the meaning of frog (objects) in the Caribbean.? If so, we’d love to know. We’d also love to know how we can improve the way we share the stories of the Caribbean and its objects, so don’t hesitate to give us advice and tips!
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. We would like to thank Hayley Mickleburgh for agreeing to the surprise interview at the SAA 2016 in Orlando. Her research on St. Vincent was made possible by an NWO-Top Talent grant.
