The Archaeology of Cassipora Creek: Exploratory Investigations of a 17th-Century Jewish Settlement in Suriname

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Archaeologies of Contact and Colonialism" session, at the 2019 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

In the 17th-century, Jewish migrants from Europe began settling in Suriname, where they were granted unprecedented autonomy in governing their community and openly practicing their religion. In 1665, these Jewish settlers established their first synagogue and cemetery along the Cassipora Creek, which would become the namesake of their community. Twenty years later, the community moved to a new settlement nearby called Jodensavanne, which flourished as an important plantation community for another century. While some archaeological research has been undertaken at Jodensavanne, the earlier settlement of Cassipora Creek has received less attention. To better ensure the conservation and integration of the Cassipora community’s remains into the site’s management plan, exploratory research has been conducted to identify the boundaries of the Cassipora community, including the locations of domestic and religious structures. This paper will present the results of this preliminary research, and outline a plan for future archaeological research.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Archaeologies of Contact and Colonialism   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2019

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

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PaperId(s): 274