Don’t Forget about Me: The Role of “Minor” Fortifications in the Interpretation of Military Landscapes

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Military sites and spaces are of great interest to archaeologists, historians, and the public. They are significant for interpreting past events and understanding the lives of those who lived and labored there. The larger and grandiose military sites often become the primary focus of conservation and research efforts for their monumentality and their links to historical people and events. However, this emphasis on “major” military sites and spaces only tells part of the story. The colonial landscapes of the Caribbean were once dotted with “minor” fortifications. These smaller spaces and their occupants were active participants in the defense systems established by Europeans on the islands, yet they are often absent from historical and archaeological interpretations. Moreover, the public and descendant communities may not know they exist, let alone their significance. This paper thus explores the role of such “minor” fortifications in interpreting military landscapes. Focusing on the case study of Fort Louise Augusta, a former Danish coastal battery in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, this paper discusses how incorporating such sites into archaeological studies of fortifications and military landscapes results in more nuanced interpretations than focusing on large sites alone.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 53821