Analysing the material remains left by Maryland's colonists in the eighteenth century in conjunction with historical records and works of art, archaeologists have reconstructed the daily life of an aristocratic British family, whose head was governor of Maryland. In this large household people from different cultures interacted, and English and West African lifestyles merged. Using this fascinating case-study, Anne Yentsch illustrates the way in which historical archaeology draws on different disciplines to interpret the past.

Résumé
Using archaeological research in conjunction with historical records and works of art, Anne Yentsch has reconstructed the daily life of an aristocratic British family in Maryland.

Contenu

Foreword; Acknowledgements; Permissions; Preface; Part I. Starting Points: Region, Town and Site: 1. Transforming space into place; 2. Beginning the research; Part II. Ruling the Province: 3. On behalf of his lordship; 4. Governor Benedict Leonard Calvert; Part II. Big Features and Topological Dimensions: 5. 'A house well built and with much strength'; 6. Ordering nature: the Calvert orangery, garden and vista; Part IV. Mosaics Built From Little Artifacts: 7. Touches of Chinese elegance: pottery and porcelain; 8. Social distinctions in daily food; Part V. Building Black Identities; 9. The face of urban slavery; 10. West African women, food and cultural values; Part VI. Artifacts In Motion: 11. Putting meat on the bones; 12. Hunting, fishing, and market trading; Part VII. Time Markers and Social History: 13. Generations of change; 14. Charisma and the symbolics of power; Part VIII. The Vitality Of Cultural Context: 15. Archaeology as anthropological history; 16. Archaeology, a topical discourse; Bibliography; Endnotes; Appendix.