New archaeological find in Brokopondo, in Suriname

New archaeological find in Brokopondo, in Suriname

While trying to build a new mast at Rosebel Gold Mines, near the Pikin Saramacca concession, a new archaeological site has been discovered in Brokopondo, in Suriname. Steve Chin A Foeng, the Saramacca Project Supervisor, saw a polished stone axe during groundwork and immediately ceased activities. In addition to the polished stone axe, there also appeared to be some pottery shards in the surrounding area.

The find was reported to management after all work in the area was halted and Rosebel contacted the Archaeological Service of the Directorate of Culture in Suriname.

According to the 2002 Monuments Act, archaeological finds must be reported to the Archaeological Service of the Culture Directorate, as well as to the District Commissioner. In this regard, the policy officer of Culture and Archaeologist, Irene Meulenberg, conducted a field inspection of the new site. The District Commissioner of the Upper Suriname Region, Walter Bojanski, was also present during the inspection.

The new site is not far from a cave where another archaeological site was discovered in 2019. Currently, the finds are being examined by the Archaeological Service and, in the future, the intention is to investigate both the already known archaeological site and the new site in order to obtain more information about the history of Suriname.