Lindsay Bloch

Investigations were undertaken following the discovery of two Lucayan burials in an Atlantic coast sand dune on Long Island, The Bahamas (site LN‐101), in the aftermath of Hurricane Joaquin in 2015. The dune burials were the first of their kind to be documented and systematically excavated, and they were associated with uncommon Atlantic coast Lucayan sites. We describe the first systematic archaeological prospection and investigation of coastal geomorphology in the region, applying grain‐size analysis to assess the dune's natural history; basic geochemical analysis to detect anthropogenic impacts and determine agricultural potential; radiocarbon dating as a chronological anchor for reconstructing dune development; drone mapping and georeferencing to document landscape trajectories; and the potential of clay‐like soils with respect to pottery production. Significantly, the dune was relatively stable during and after Lucayan occupation, before Hurricane Joaquin stripped about 10 m from the dune face. The results contribute to refined modeling of past and future impacts, especially those attributed to modern climate change, by linking changes in geomorphology to human activities that began over 1000 years ago. The study contributes to a growing body of Caribbean research into the deep‐time impacts of sea‐level change, coastal geomorphology, erosion, climate change, and hurricane activity.

For many years, archaeologists have relied on Munsell Soil Color Charts (MSCC) as tools for standardizing the recording of soil and sediment colors in the field and artifacts such as pottery in the lab. Users have identified multiple potential sources of discrepancy in results, such as differences in inter-operator perception, light source, or moisture content of samples. In recent years, researchers have developed inexpensive digital methods for color identification, but these typically cannot be done in real time. Now, a field-ready digital color-matching instrument is marketed to archaeologists as a replacement for MSCC, but the accuracy and overall suitability of this device for archaeological research has not been demonstrated. Through three separate field and laboratory trials, we found systematic mismatches in the results obtained via device, including variable accuracy against standardized MSCC chips, which should represent ideal samples. At the same time, the instrument was consistent in its readings. This leads us to question whether using the "subjective" human eye or the "objective" digital eye is preferable for data recording of color. We discuss how project goals and limitations should be considered when deciding which color-recording method to employ in field and laboratory settings, and we identify optimal procedures. Durante muchos años, arqueólogos han confiado en la carta Munsell (MSCC) como una herramienta para estandarizar las grabaciones de colores de suelo y sedimento en el campo, y artefactos como las cerámicas en el laboratorio. Usuarios han identificado varias fuentes potenciales con discrepancia en los resultados, tal como diferencias en percepciones inter operadoras, fuentes de luz, o del nivel de humedad presente en las muestras. En años recientes, investigadores han desarrollado métodos digitales más económicos para la identificación de colores, pero estos métodos típicamente no se pueden utilizar en tiempo real. Ahora, un instrumento designado para la identificación de colores se promueve entre arqueólogos como un reemplazo para MSCC, aunque no se ha demostrado la exactitud e idoneidad del aparato para la conducta de investigaciones arqueológicas. Entre tres pruebas distintas, en el campo y laboratorio, encontramos discordancia sistémica en los resultados obtenidos por medio del instrumento, incluyendo fallas de precisión en comparación con MSCC, programa del que se espera resultados impecables. Al mismo tiempo, el instrumento fue consistente en sus grabaciones. Eso nos dirige a preguntar si es preferible usar el ojo humano "subjetivo" o el ojo digital "objetivo" para estas grabaciones de colores. Discutimos como las metas y limitaciones de proyectos deben ser considerados al decidir entre que método de grabación para emplear en el campo y laboratorio e identificar procedimientos optímales. Palabras clave: análisis de color, la carta Munsell, métodos de campo, métodos de laboratorio, arqueología caribeña Color is a fundamental attribute that archaeologists and others use to describe and categorize their research universe. In particular , color has been identified as a primary characteristic for identifying and recording soils and sediments in archaeological contexts, and it is used to match strata across a site or to identify diagnostic pedological or anthropogenic features (e.g., Barba 1989). Soil color also has demonstrable links to microscopic composition, such as organic content, iron richness, and

The variety of coarse earthenwares recovered from the plantation of Morne Patate in Dominica serves as material evidence of enslaved households’ participation in the nested market economies of the colonial Caribbean. Assemblages included wares produced among the islands of the Lesser Antilles as well as those imported through the trans-Atlantic marketing of French and British pottery. Forms included domestic vessels such as cooking pots and storage jars, and industrial objects, mainly sugar drip jars and tiles. We used laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) on a subset of samples (n=77) from household contexts at Morne Patate in order to concretely define the elemental variation present in the coarse earthenware assemblage. The outcomes of the elemental analysis were used to develop type descriptions and identify the remainder of the coarse earthenwares in the assemblage (n=3096). The percentages of these types were then compared with chronological information to examine how their use changed over time. The results demonstrate that despite the British taking political control of the island, Morne Patate residents continued to use French pottery throughout the eighteenth century. The persistence of both French and regionally produced coarse earthenwares also introduce the opportunity for future research to identify the role of consumer preference versus that of access for fulfilling Dominican material needs throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

A wide variety of ceramics are recovered in plantation contexts in Barbados, from hand- built coarse earthenwares to refined tablewares, as well as industrial forms for sugar production. However, the origins for these ceramics are often uncertain. While many ceramics were imported from production centers in Great Britain and elsewhere in the Americas, planters in Barbados also brought in European potters to establish domestic pottery workshops. Made in the same tradition and in the same forms in Barbados as in Europe, it is difficult to visually identify the source of these earthenware products. To better understand the origins of coarse earthenwares found at Trents Plantation on the west coast of Barbados, 117 samples were analyzed via LA-ICP-MS, and their elemental values compared with those from known British and American earthenware sources. The results show significant evidence for Barbadian production of domestic and industrial wares. In particular, the shift from imported coarse earthenwares to locally produced wares may be linked to the intensification of sugar production around the mid-seventeenth century. This evidence for local ceramic production in Barbados illuminates the economic strategies of colonial Barbados in the British Atlantic world.

Working with legacy collections, it is common to come across labeled artifacts or reports listing now defunct names. Over the years, archaeologists have chosen to lump or split ceramic assemblages based on any number of attributes, often the site or region in which they were first discovered and described. These names are time capsules, capturing typological moments in the history of the discipline. Ware types have been devised, revised, split, combined, ignored, or canonized. Following the founding figures of Southeastern archaeology, their legacies, and the dead ends, we critically examine the naming structures that underlie our analysis and interpretations.

Fine-grained “chalky” pottery containing microscopic sponge spicules is commonly recovered from archaeological sites throughout peninsular Florida, but many questions remain about its composition and origins. It is identified by different names, but most are associated with the St. Johns Type series. While it has been commonly assumed to originate in the St. Johns River drainage for which it is named, the prevalence of pottery with these characteristics in other locations has presented the likelihood of independent production in multiple places. In this study, we conducted LA-ICP-MS and XRD analysis of spiculate pottery from three Woodland period (ca. 1000 BCE to 1000 CE) sites, along with comparative clay samples, in order to characterize the raw materials and determine the geographic scope of production. Our results support the theory that this ware was independently produced across peninsular Florida. We further evaluate the hypothesis that this pottery was made with common wetland muck, through consideration of the material properties of muck constituents. This project emphasizes the importance of an ecosystem framework for understanding the long history of spiculate pottery production and its geographic spread within Florida.

Unlike many goods in the eighteenth century, which were wholly imported, utilitarian coarse earthenwares were also produced locally within the American colonies. In the Chesapeake region, it has been suggested that these local wares were primarily reserved for those unable to directly participate in the transatlantic credit economy fostered by the tobacco consignment system. Rather than relying on ambiguous visual attributes to identify these wares, this study utilized elemental analysis via LA-ICP-MS. Coarse earthenwares from domestic plantation contexts of varying social status were assigned to production zones based on shared elemental composition with a reference dataset. This reference dataset incorporated sherds from historic earthenware production sites across the mid-Atlantic and in Great Britain, representing 12 geologically distinct production zones. The results emphasize the diversity of coarse earthenware sources that Chesapeake residents accessed, both local and imported. There was a steady decrease in the use of imported wares in favor of domestically made products over time. There were no sharp differences among plantation households of different statuses, suggesting that these everyday wares were equally accessible to all, perhaps via plantation provisioning strategies. The omnipresence of local wares is evidence for the pragmatic and political strengths of local production.

Unlike many other goods in the eighteenth century, which were wholly imported from Great Britain or elsewhere abroad, utilitarian coarse earthenwares were also produced locally within the American colonies. In the Chesapeake region, it has been suggested that these local wares were primarily reserved for those unable to directly participate in the tobacco consignment system fostered by transatlantic credit. Due to their generic appearance, it has been challenging to identify the presence of locally made ceramics in archaeological assemblages. However, these local goods provide evidence for alternative economic and social networks, and distinct forms of credit. This project interrogates craft production and colonial systems of credit and debt in the historic Chesapeake region, through the analysis of lead glazed coarse earthenwares, omnipresent components of the eighteenth-century domestic toolkit.
Rather than relying upon visual characteristics for these generic wares, sherds from 37 historic earthenware production sites across the mid-Atlantic and in Great Britain were elementally analyzed via laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) in order to establish geologically distinctive reference groups. Then, coarse earthenwares from domestic plantation contexts (ca. 1690-1830) representing varying social status were analyzed and assigned to production origins based on elemental composition. The results demonstrate the diversity of coarse earthenware sources that Chesapeake residents accessed. There are clear temporal shifts in the sources of coarse earthenware, and in particular a steady decrease in the use of imported wares in favor of domestically made products. All plantation households sampled used at least some locally made wares, and no sharp differences were seen among households of different status, suggesting that these quotidian wares were equally available to and utilized by all, perhaps via plantation provisioning strategies. These results challenge the idea that local products were inferior or low-class. Instead, their omnipresence is evidence for the pragmatic as well as political strengths of local production, from allowing for custom orders and local credit to promoting American self-sufficiency for the nascent revolution.

As some of the most frequently recovered historic artifacts on domestic sites, common coarse earthenwares have great promise as an interpretive tool. However, archaeological common coarse earthenwares are not easily attributed to a particular potter or period. The earthenware potters operating in North America, England, and elsewhere in Europe largely shared manufacturing methods, vessel forms and decoration. For over two hundred years, the process of producing common coarse earthenware went largely unchanged. Through comparative analysis of domestic site assemblages across the Chesapeake, I demonstrate that common coarse earthenwares are not homogenous, instead exhibiting both temporal and spatial patterning. Over time, the proportion of coarse earthenware in ceramic assemblages decreased, and glazing patterns changed. Certain attributes of common coarse earthenware are more common at some sites than others, indicating differential availability or functional requirements among sites and sub- regions of the Chesapeake, and are perhaps evidence of discrete production origins.