Prehistoric Production or Enslaved Curation?: An Evaluation of the Temporal and Spatial Distributions of the Lithic Assemblage at The Hermitage.

Summary

The Hermitage assemblage is a treasure trove of 19th-century material culture.  However, DAACS analyses have revealed that, in addition to hundreds of thousands of 19th century artifacts, over 23,500 fragments of lithic debitage, projectile points, and tools were unearthed from the plantation complex.  This paper examines this lithic assemblage and evaluates whether its presence and distribution is the result of prehistoric Native Americans’ activities at the site or production/curation by the Antebellum enslaved workforce.  Analysis of the spatial and temporal distributions of the different lithic forms at The Hermitage reveals clues about their use and deposition.  This paper places the results in a larger comparative framework using archaeological and ethnohistoric data from local prehistoric and historic period sites.  This paper is a case study for using DAACS data and analytical methods to evaluate hypotheses about artifacts associated with both enslaved and non-enslaved occupations or activities on plantation sites.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018   •
• The Past, Present, and Future of Archaeological Research at The Hermitage: Legacies of Larry McKee and Sam Smith

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 536