Subfloor Pits and the Archaeology of Slavery in Colonial Virginia

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Archaeology
Cover of the book Subfloor Pits and the Archaeology of Slavery in Colonial Virginia by Patricia Samford, University of Alabama Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Patricia Samford ISBN: 9780817381493
Publisher: University of Alabama Press Publication: May 2, 2011
Imprint: University Alabama Press Language: English
Author: Patricia Samford
ISBN: 9780817381493
Publisher: University of Alabama Press
Publication: May 2, 2011
Imprint: University Alabama Press
Language: English

Enslaved Africans and their descendants comprised a significant portion of colonial Virginia populations, with most living on rural slave quarters adjacent to the agricultural fields in which they labored. Archaeological excavations into these home sites have provided unique windows into the daily lifeways and culture of these early inhabitants.

 

A common characteristic of Virginia slave quarters is the presence of subfloor pits beneath the houses. The most common explanations of the functions of these pits are as storage places for personal belongings or root vegetables, and some contextual and ethnohistoric data suggest they may have served as West Africa-style shrines. Through excavations of 103 subfloor pits dating from the 17th through mid-19th centuries, Samford reveals a wealth of data including shape, location, surface area, and depth, as well as contents and patterns of related feature placement. Archaeology reveals the material circumstances of slaves’ lives, which in turn opens the door to illuminating other aspects of life: spirituality, symbolic meanings assigned to material goods, social life, individual and group agency, and acts of resistance and accommodation. Analysis of the artifact assemblages allows the development of hypotheses about how West African, possibly Igbo, cultural traditions were maintained and transformed in the Virginia Chesapeake.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Enslaved Africans and their descendants comprised a significant portion of colonial Virginia populations, with most living on rural slave quarters adjacent to the agricultural fields in which they labored. Archaeological excavations into these home sites have provided unique windows into the daily lifeways and culture of these early inhabitants.

 

A common characteristic of Virginia slave quarters is the presence of subfloor pits beneath the houses. The most common explanations of the functions of these pits are as storage places for personal belongings or root vegetables, and some contextual and ethnohistoric data suggest they may have served as West Africa-style shrines. Through excavations of 103 subfloor pits dating from the 17th through mid-19th centuries, Samford reveals a wealth of data including shape, location, surface area, and depth, as well as contents and patterns of related feature placement. Archaeology reveals the material circumstances of slaves’ lives, which in turn opens the door to illuminating other aspects of life: spirituality, symbolic meanings assigned to material goods, social life, individual and group agency, and acts of resistance and accommodation. Analysis of the artifact assemblages allows the development of hypotheses about how West African, possibly Igbo, cultural traditions were maintained and transformed in the Virginia Chesapeake.

More books from University of Alabama Press

Cover of the book Science as Service by Patricia Samford
Cover of the book Artistic Liberties by Patricia Samford
Cover of the book To the Boathouse by Patricia Samford
Cover of the book Harlots, Hussies, and Poor Unfortunate Women by Patricia Samford
Cover of the book Global Memoryscapes by Patricia Samford
Cover of the book Unfurl Those Colors by Patricia Samford
Cover of the book Reachable Stars by Patricia Samford
Cover of the book So Long! Walt Whitman's Poetry of Death by Patricia Samford
Cover of the book American Indians and the Market Economy, 1775-1850 by Patricia Samford
Cover of the book Fabricating the People by Patricia Samford
Cover of the book Fitzgerald-Wilson-Hemingway by Patricia Samford
Cover of the book Year of the Pig by Patricia Samford
Cover of the book F. Scott Fitzgerald in the Twenty-First Century by Patricia Samford
Cover of the book Stubborn Poetries by Patricia Samford
Cover of the book Sparrow and the Hawk by Patricia Samford
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy