Leaving a Mark: An Analysis of Graphite at Jamestown
Author(s): Mary Anna R. Hartley
Year: 2017
Summary
Excavations at the 1607 James Fort site have recovered several pieces of high-quality vein graphite not local to Virginia. Many examples were shaped for use as pencils, but the majority was brought to Jamestown as raw nodules. Tight dating of the graphite found at Jamestown offers new insight into the form in which graphite was sold in London during the early 17th century and into early graphite pencil use. Drawing upon archaeological and documentary evidence, this paper examines the graphite’s likely provenance, highlights its use as a writing implement in the colony, and explores alternative uses for the graphite nodules during the first decade of English settlement in North America.
Cite this Record
Leaving a Mark: An Analysis of Graphite at Jamestown. Mary Anna R. Hartley. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, Fort Worth, TX. 2017 ( tDAR id: 435308)
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Keywords
General
Graphite
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Jamestown
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pencils
Geographic Keywords
North America
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United States of America
Temporal Keywords
17th Century
Spatial Coverage
min long: -129.199; min lat: 24.495 ; max long: -66.973; max lat: 49.359 ;
Individual & Institutional Roles
Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology
Record Identifiers
PaperId(s): 727