Brimstone, Sea and Sand: The Historical Military Archaeology of the Port of Sandy Point and its Anchorage

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Military Sites Archaeology in the Caribbean: Studies of Colonialism, Globalization, and Multicultural Communities" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Sandy Point was an early English town on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts, the first island to be settled by both English and French, and one of the most important sugar colonies in the Eastern Caribbean. Very early in the settlement period Sandy Point rose to prominence as a major port with a strategically vital anchorage. The port was thrust into the centre of rivalry between English and French, spurring development of the most extensive fortification system in the English speaking Caribbean.

The armed conflicts between rival powers over St. Kitts have left a rich and unique legacy in the built and underwater cultural heritage of the port of Sandy Point and its anchorage. This archaeological legacy provides the opportunity to examine how a Leeward Island port influenced developments in fortification design and construction from the sixteenth to seventeenth century, the most turbulent period of geopolitical conflict in the Caribbean.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Military Sites Archaeology in the Caribbean: Studies of Colonialism, Globalization, and Multicultural Communities   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2020

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 772