IDENTIFICATION OF CHARRED MATERIAL FROM THE TALUFOFO KINGFISHER GOLF LINKS PROJECT, SIAPAN

Six samples containing charcoal and other charred material were examined from sites in the Talufofo Kingfisher Golf Links Project on east Siapan in the Mariana Islands. The sites are believed to represent prehistoric occupations dating to the Transitional (AD 1 to 800) and Latte Periods (AD 800 to 1650), based on ceramic typology. The project area was used for pottery manufacture. Charred material was identified prior to submission for radiocarbon dating. The native forests were cleared for sugar cane plantations during the Japanese administration in the early to mid 1900s. Identification of charcoal and other charred material will provide information concerning vegetation in the area at the time of occupation.