James G. Gibb offers a unique study of 17th century English North American attitudes toward the acquisition and use of wealth. He analyzes domestic sites excavated in Maryland and Virginia to interpret patterns in the construction of household identities and places these patterns within the social and cultural context of the region. His work includes a new critical approach that underscores the role of conscious individual action in history and the importance of material culture in the construction of identities.

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1 Introduction.- Overview.- New Directions.- Organization of the Work.- The Archaeological Data and Tests.- Notes.- 2 Consumer Behavior Theory in Historical Archaeology.- Theoretical Approaches.- Consumer Behavior Theory.- Patterns in the Study of Consumer Behavior.- New Perspectives on Consumer Behavior.- Summary.- Notes.- 3 Modeling the Consumer Behavior of the Colonists.- Models of Consumer Behavior.- Contextualism and the Archaeology of Domestic Sites.- A Model.- Summary.- Notes.- 4 Wealth, Property, Land, and Labor.- Wealth and Commodity.- The Seventeenth-Century English Perspective.- Land.- Labor.- Land, Labor, and Mercantilism.- Summary.- Notes.- 5 Maryland in the Seventeenth Century.- Historical Overview.- Population.- Wealth-Holding.- Summary.- Notes.- 6 Land and Settlement Patterning in the Pursuit of Wealth.- Variability in Tract Size.- Variability in Plantation Siting.- Summary.- Notes.- 7 Environment and History of William Stephens Land.- The Chesapeake Tidewater Environment.- William Stephens Land.- Summary.- Notes.- 8 Compton, 1650s1660s.- Methodology.- Results.- Feature Analysis.- Artifact Analysis.- Summary.- Notes.- 9 Patuxent Point, 1660s1670s.- Methodology.- Results.- Feature Analysis.- Artifact Analysis.- Patuxent Point Cemetery.- Summary.- Notes.- 10 Material Variability along the Shores of the Chesapeake.- Plantation Siting.- Architectural Form and Space.- Homelot Spatial Organization.- Food Production, Preparation, Storage, and Presentation.- Disposal of the Dead.- Summary.- Notes.- 11 Consumer Behavior in Seventeenth-Century English America.- Consumer Behavior Theory in Historical Archaeology.- Consumer Behavior in English America.- Conclusion.- Notes.- References.