Pre-Colonial and Post-Contact Archaeology in Barbados

This volume provides one of the most comprehensive overviews of the archaeology of a single Caribbean island yet published. Drawing together scholars from the Caribbean, north America and Europe, all working from a range of disciplines within the broader scope of archaeology, and drawing upon recent and innovative fieldwork, the collected papers touch upon a wider variety of archaeological case studies. Divided into four sections each under the editorial supervision of a specialist scholar, the papers contained in this volume start with an overview of different approaches to the pre-contact archaeology of the island of Barbados and focus upon recent debates and issues surrounding material culture, economic change and site location. Two following sections focus upon recent developments in historical archaeology, looking at a series of urban and plantation case studies, and then the application of scientific techniques to material cultural and ecofactual evidence. The final section considers the social implications of Barbados' past and recent developments in community heritage, education and management. Extensively illustrated and referenced, this volume considers in detail the historical diversity of archaeological work undertaken on the island, yet will also look forward to examine the key trends and currents that will inform the study of the archaeology of Barbados in the future. With such a rich wealth of material, this is a volume that will have considerable impact upon the wider context of Caribbeanist archaeology, history and heritage studies.Contents:Introduction: The Past and Present of Archaeology in BarbadosDouglas V. Armstrong, Alissandra Cummins, Maaike S. de Waal, Kevin Farmer, Niall Finneran and Matthew C. ReillySection one: Pre-colonial ArchaeologyBarbados natural landscapes. Conditions for pre-colonial settlement, site preservation and archaeological fieldworkMaaike S. de WaalArchaic Age Barbados and the Works of Peter DrewettScott M. Fitzpatrick and Maaike S. de WaalThe pre-colonial pottery of BarbadosMary Hill HarrisAmerindian cultural landscapes in Ceramic Age BarbadosMaaike S. de WaalPre-colonial Barbados: Rituals, Objects and Use of SpaceQuetta KayeSection two: Historical ArchaeologySt. Nicholas Abbey: Centering People in Plantation Archaeology in Barbados in the Twenty-First CenturyFrederick H. SmithTrents Plantation: Small-Farm to a Landscape of Power and EnslavementDouglas V. Armstrong'A free prospect to the sea': framing an urban archaeological biography of Speightstown (St Peter Parish)Niall Finneran, Alexander Gray and Rachel LichtensteinWatch Towers: Surveillance and Control in the Aftermath of the 1816 Barbadian Slave RevoltAlan D. ArmstrongThe 2009 and 2010 Synagogue Excavations: An Exploration of the Material Culture of the first 100 years of the Nidhe Israel CommunityDerek MillerSection three: Material culture and human lifeways'Are they local or foreign?': An examination of some Barbadian potteries and market networksKevin Farmer and Michael GlasscockHealth and Life Histories of Enslaved Sugar Producers from the Newton Plantation, Barbados: 35 Years of Bioarchaeological ResearchKristina A. Shuler, Hannes Schroeder, William D. Stevens, and Robert S. CorrucciniAre they Barbadian? Inferring Identity and Ethnic Affiliation for the Pierhead and Fontabelle Burial Grounds: the Bioarchaeological and Biohistorical Evidence.Christopher Crain and Kevin FarmerSourcing Domestic and Industrial Ceramics from Trents Plantation, Barbados using LA-ICP-MS (Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry)Lindsay BlochColonial Foodways in Barbados: A Diachronic Study of Faunal Remains from Trent's Plantation, 17th-19th centuriesDiane WallmanSection four: Issues in Cultural Heritage management in Barbados in the 21st centuryCollaborative Archaeology in a "Redleg" TenantryMatthew C. Reilly and Ainsley NorrisYoung children's agency within Barbadian community heritage: a children's rights and sustainable development model.Lucy Willans and Liesje Cole-PragnellParticipation, democratisation and digitisation. A post-modern approach to Barbados' heritage in the 21st century.Niall Finneran, Laura Hampden, Alice LathburyOf Roots and Routes: Visioning Barbados' Cultural Heritage through Trails DevelopmentTara InnissWhere are the shipwrecks? Recent directions in Maritime Archaeology and Heritage in BarbadosNiall FinneranEpilogue: The Future of Barbados' Past. Douglas V. Armstrong, Maaike S. de Waal, Kevin Farmer, Niall Finneran & Matthew C. ReillyAbout the Editors:Dr. Maaike S. De Waal (PhD) is assistant professor at the Faculty of Archaeology of Leiden University (the Netherlands). She is a partner in ARGEOgraph, an archaeological company specializing in geoinformatics in archaeology. Previously, she was lecturing in archaeology at the University of the West Indies (Barbados). She specializes in pre-colonial Caribbean archaeology, and her research interests include Caribbean archaeology, landscape archaeology, archaeological survey, settlement patterns, mobility and interaction and pre-colonial ceramics.Dr. Niall Finneran holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge and is Reader in Historical Archaeology and Heritage at the University of Winchester, England. An anthropological archaeologist with specialisations in heritage management, material culture and nautical and landscape archaeology, he has worked at Speightstown in Barbados since 2010 and also undertakes community heritage work among the Garifuna on St Vincent, as well as nautical archaeological work on the Grenadine island of Bequia. Dr. Matthew C. Reilly is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the City College of New York. He conducts research in Barbados and Liberia. He is the author of Archaeology below the Cliff: Race, Class, and Redlegs in Barbadian Sugar Society.