Ongoing analyses of the prehistoric Amerindian Trants site in Montserr
at include chronological and settlement data obtained from several epi
sodes of field work. Artifact distributions suggest that Trants is lar
ger than most other Saladoid period sites in the West Indies. The radi
ocarbon dates, artifacts, and stratigraphic associations further sugge
st that Trants was occupied earlier than many other Saladoid sites and
over a long span, ca. 500 B.C.-A.D. 410, or later. Phosphate fraction
ation and other sediment data confirm the intensity and duration of oc
cupation, and with artifact distributions discussed elsewhere suggest
that the prehistoric settlement had a stable circular ring and plaza c
onfiguration. The implications of these data for research on the begin
ning and development of the Saladoid period in the West Indies and Low
land South America are discussed.