New-York tribune., 1879-05-05
ANCIENT POTTERY.
ANTIQUITIES FROM AMERICAN GRAVES

INTERESTING WARE FROM TIE lsfHMUS Of
PANAMA.
Mr.. John 5. Lamson. of No. n Maiden-lane,
has received a consignment OF some LOO pieces OF
pottery from an ancient cemetery in Chirqui, the
westornmost division Of the Ishmuz OF Panama, which
cannot bat be OF great interest 70 the happily lncres
inc number Of students OF the early history OF oiyza
tiOn on this continent The collection Is similar III
character to that bought not long ago by professor
Marsh for Yale College it comes from the same regon
and insGe under the superintendent OF inc same
person. Mr. J. \. McNie MIR Lamson's correspondent
who has for several years conducted explorations
various parts Of the Isthmus with great perseverance,
and in the true scientific spirit The graves IN When
these objects were found lie scattered along the
Pacific slope Of the foothills OF MI. Nolc"n
(it. ChirquD forming cemetery GOVERNS
thousands Of square miles, and lying about thirty miles
northwest Of the chief town Of Chrq David the AVID
Of the natives The graves do appear to have been
disposed according any regular plan. nor do they lie
with reference TO any point of the compass ln'S
found at varying depths sometimes being as uiucn
fifteen feet below the surface Of the grouna anu sOe
times no more than two or three rect Macy OF them
would seem 10 have been opened again ana aei"n Io
interments. They walled mp on the sueS
and at the ends with large round stones which are e'
IDENTIFY water-worn and must have been brousht lrom
rver-beds at considerable distance from the ceme'e'5
where they at present found. They are coVereu III
with hat stones. Of them weighing 200 pouhus'
These stones of different character from the ioca
formation. and only have been procured from sua-
several miles away. and TAR uD the noun
As there indications on the surface OF the
ground as 20 where the graves hid. the natives en-
ployed by Mr. McNiel in his explorations thrust do"u
light iron bar into the earth until It strikes 7lone'
then decide the sound returned whether there
is hollow or at least spot Of less density than the
surrounding soil beneath the stone, and they nave ac
quired SO much skill by their long experience
and their senses Of touch and hearing are nat
urally so acute, that II they decide TO dis they
rarely fail to come upon what was promised Wv
ing to the porous nature OF the SOIL and to the nhra
ton Of water charged with earthly matter not only are
the graves rs choked up with earth, but the yes
sells they also filed with earth and as these
vessels are for some very raDe whether II De
the nature Of the clay OF to imperfect oaAng
the greatest Is required in Riding them OF IDs
superuous matter They cannot be washed Win safety
at any ume and before handling them at all they must
be thoroughly dried from the moisture they have abb
-orbed during their long burial. Those that
have been sent here by Mr. McNie. to Mr..
Lamson have arrived in the best condition; out Of the
large number in the present lot, veyy few are either
broken or injured
The general color Of this pottery is very light red,
IKE that OF terra Gotta Not OF the dark red OF
fine brick and some are OF good black In the present
collection there few pieces OF color light We
are inclined call them white but only one piece, so
far as We have observed Is really white and this the
white OF new parchment rather than Of paper But we
are OF the opinion that red. the black and the
white OF this particular piece, are all applied TO the
Of the ordinary pottery they are not the result
Of the employment Of different ciays. II would be I'M
prudent to speak positively this subject at present.
however and what is said is offered only a sugges-
ti0n In the OF the black vessels the ornamental
ton Is produced by scratching through the black sur
face to the hgnt-cOlored. pae-red but grayish-
white ground beneath and In someo the bottles where
the upper half is white aud the lower half red, the
red seems applied upon the white-uniformly over the
bottom. and about the middle in pattern through
whose openings the white ground shows making part
Of the design The greater number OF these vessels
Of glazed clay and an experienced potter who has
examined the collection gives As his opinion that the
wheel been employed in the manufacture OF any
these pieces. We believe he understood 10 say that
the upper and lower halves OF all the vessels made
separately built mp by hand, and then put together,
Is done nowa-tays in pieces that moulded In
or the broken specimens the marks Of the DOtters fin
gers are plainly all the inside, the clay
patted pressed shaped by his hands, and It s easy
to see the inside the joint where the necks ana
OF the vessels have been added The externa!
these ungiazed pieces Ia IN all eaSes hney
-moohed and the glaze, II are justified In calling 10
glaze which the surface Of the colored pieces,
resembles that found on Greek and IaloGreek pottery
It extremely thin. the ustre ia such might ap
parenty be produced by handpOsAng.
When we come to consider the forms Of this pottery,
we find what we may call a variety in unity. The
unity in the shape, the variety IN the aduncs. II
NAV be remarked in passing that with the exception Of
few articles wrought OF stone, nothing but pottery
is found in these graves. metal object having been
discovered. The earthenware articles are principally
lars and tripods, with few small objects toys and
whistles and certain thin hat disks pierced with hole In
the centre that may served wheels for toycarr
The tripods are rings Of eartnenware supported BY three
ffr. Tho. nod of fh.4 rffl1l rrlal
TO use familiar ustration) large and rounded at the
end Of attachment, and curving outward 70 blunt
point where they touch the ground These feet are in
every case hollow with long slit on the outer face,
through which see one or two small freely moving
halls OF clay inserted OF course before baking and the
use Of which is not easy TO conjecture. Or. AcAIeI
81 usgess that the OF these tripods. when not en-
ployed 10 support tho vessel the fire f0r cooking
Durposes may have to keep its contents from the
attacks of ants and other insects by supporting t In
pan OF water. And possibly the object OF the
Sits in the legs Of the tripods may be to
trap the ants by Turing them into these eavi-
ties. which were perhaps smeared with some
,eet tapge-foot substance II can hardly be that the
form givento the tripod feet together with the sts
and the inserted balls Of clay merely decorative fea
lures They must have had some utlitar1an purpose,
and it would seem that something in the details Of the
lives Of the present natives might help TO explain this
curious point In the case OF the other objects where
clay balls are similarly found enclosed, the motive IL
sometimes obvious One ball about an inch and half
I'm diameter IA loosely filed with clay balls about the
size Of buclshot The ball is prettly decorated with
pauted belt and In this belt four small Greek crosses
are pierced on opposite sides, allowing the balls TO be
seem ana giving the sound they make when the
ball is shaken. This may be certainly taken FOR
old's rattle The crosses sharply cut and perfectly
regular.
The lara. as we call them for lack OF better name,
vary in sze from the smallest that VIII hold gil, TO
the largest that have capacity Of about three gallons
IN the collection bought BY Mr. Marsh We believe some