Zara Mahmood Professor Belkin AR100 June 25 2013 Lecture 19 Notes The Archaeological Rediscovery of Jamestown Historical Archaeology The study through the use of material and written evidence of people and cultures that existed during the period of recorded history o Post Colonial Archaeology industrial revolutions o Colonial Archaeology People prior and including the American revolution Colonial Sites Spain one of the first countries to explore and colonize o Christopher Columbus settled in 1494 La Isabela Excavated in 1980s by Kathleen Deagan Town included church and fortified citadel Dutch New Netherlands Settlement ultimately failed o Henry Hudson claimed land in 1607 Settled 1624 New Amsterdam Present New York Small fortified city with great wall Excavations began in 1970 Plymouth Colony plimoth o Settled in 1620 by pilgrims puritans o Never found or excavated English Colony Early English colonial attempts o 1st attempt Fort Raleigh 1585 1586 o 2nd attempt The Lost Colony 1587 The Founding of Jamestown relocated to the croatoan island o Virginia Company and first permanent English colony o Colonization had goals Find route to orient Convert New World natives to Christianity Find gold and explore manufactured goods o King James 1 granted Virginia Company license o Sir Bartholomew Gosnold o President Edward Wingfield o Captain John Smith Saw Jamestown as a place with gold new experiences Zara Mahmood Professor Belkin AR100 June 25 2013 o Paspahegh Indians Powhatan werowance Pocohontas Jamestown Capital eventually became Williamsburg 1893 Land was purchased for preservation Jamestown became agricultural land as part of different plantations Federal Archaeology at Jamestown Archaeology 1930s 1950s Jamestown Rediscovery Project from 1994 present o Director of excavations William Kelso 400th year anniversary of the founding of Jamestown James Fort Excavation and Characteristics Slot trench o Posthole and postmolds Palisade wall of timbers and method of fortification o Did not have many artifacts found o Suggests there was no prior settlement o This was the earliest fort Curtain side of a European fort o Was this part of the early James fort o What did the fort actually look like Zuniga Map and Percy Description o Triangle wise three bulwarkes in each corner at half moon shape Part of the wall that projects outward for combat Four or five pieces of artillerie o Zuniga Map 1608 map of the fort Shows fort being triangular with three bulwarkes at each angle Archaeologists needed to find west wall and connect triangle to prove find Excavation Bulwark palisade and ditch o Found all three palisades o Confirmed triangular shape and validate find o Revealed true dimensions of fort Archaeology of Early James Fort Architecture Earthfast Architecture structures standing or lying directing on the ground or erected in post holes Zara Mahmood Professor Belkin AR100 June 25 2013 All buildings had cellar in one end o Artifacts that related to building occupation and life o Each cellar hole would have three different sequences Building use Collapse of building Used as garbage pit The Barracks rectangular building with light timber framing o 44 000 artifacts were found o remains of one of the earliest anglo American colonies Factory rectangular building divided into 3 or 4 rooms The Quarter Councilor s Row two enormous buildings o Contain three H chimney s o Indicates 6 rooms were in this building Artifacts found in Jamestown Tobacco artifacts pipe stem pipe mold first smoke o Originated in Europe Medicinal artifacts delft jars vessels for apothecaries o Contained ointments o Originated as Dutch goods Zara Mahmood Professor Belkin AR100 June 25 2013 Ornament artifacts trade beads nueva cadiz copper pendant o Europeans brought ornaments to trade with Indians Industry glassmaking equipment o Industry was a goal Military artifacts sheathed dagger sword blade breastplate Cabasset helmet o armed lifestyle Life in Jamestown Ivory chess pieces and dice leisure and class hierarchy existed Food was object of trade for colonists James Fort Well numerous dog and horse remains of rubbish layers o Suggest it was from starving time o Found Halberd scottish pistol loaded Excellent preservation conditions Jamestown Burials Early Jamestown was dangerous lifestyle o Over 100 burials found Early Fort Burials found underneath the Councilor Row buildings 1st Burial JR102C JR o well preserved burial may be as old as James Fort 1607 o European man who died early twenties moderately muscular o Hexagonal coffin indicates he was a gentlemen o Left leg had gunshot wound died from the wound 2nd burial first lady JR156C o died of unknown causes Caucasian woman o Buried in yellow pine coffin o Did lifetime of strenuous work Captain Gosnold s burial discovered outside of Jamestown o Decorative leading staff with him in coffin Important and central figure in story of early fort