Exploring the Archaeology of the Modern City in Nineteenth-century Australia, 2019
This book presents research into the urban archaeology of 19th-century Australia. It focuses on t... more This book presents research into the urban archaeology of 19th-century Australia. It focuses on the detailed archaeology of 20 cesspits in The Rocks area of Sydney and the Commonwealth Block site in Melbourne. It also includes discussions of a significant site in Sydney – First Government House. The book is anchored around a detailed comparison of contents of 20 cesspits created during the 19th century, and examines patterns of similarity and dissimilarity, presenting analyses that work towards an integration of historical and archaeological data and perspectives. The book also outlines a transnational framework of comparison that assists in the larger context related to building a truly global archaeology of the modern city.
An Archaeology of Institutional Confinement: The Hyde Park Barracks, 1848-1886 , 2013
"The archaeological assemblage from the Hyde Park Barracks is one of the largest, most comprehens... more "The archaeological assemblage from the Hyde Park Barracks is one of the largest, most comprehensive and best preserved collections of artefacts from any 19th-century institution in the world.
Concealed for up to 160 years in the cavities between floorboards and ceilings, the assemblage is a unique archaeological record of institutional confinement, especially of women.
The underfloor assemblage dates to the period 1848 to 1886, during which a female Immigration Depot and a Government Asylum for Infirm and Destitute Women occupied the second and third floors of the Barracks.
Over the years the women discarded and swept beneath the floor thousands of clothing and textile fragments, tobacco pipes, religious items, sewing equipment, paper scraps and numerous other objects, many of which rarely occur in typical archaeological deposits.
These items are presented in detail in this book, and provide unique insight into the private lives of young female migrants and elderly destitute women, most of whom will never be known from historical records."
The abundance of goods in the modern world has a tendency to prejudice interpretation of their va... more The abundance of goods in the modern world has a tendency to prejudice interpretation of their value, but the way people value their goods is complex, relative and changeable — scarcity is just one factor. There is a long history of value theorization across the social sciences, but archaeological considerations of value remain uncommon and focused on prestige goods. In this paper, I review alternative conceptions of value through the lens of the modern world, with an example of Spode creamware used by a governor in the early decades of colonial Sydney. I argue that the process of devaluation, through discard and waste, offers a unique archaeological understanding of the shifting values people of the modern world placed on commodities.
The abundance of goods in the modern world has a tendency to prejudice interpretation of their va... more The abundance of goods in the modern world has a tendency to prejudice interpretation of their value, but the way people value their goods is complex, relative and changeable — scarcity is just one factor. There is a long history of value theorization across the social sciences, but archaeological considerations of value remain uncommon and focused on prestige goods. In this paper, I review alternative conceptions of value through the lens of the modern world, with an example of Spode creamware used by a governor in the early decades of colonial Sydney. I argue that the process of devaluation, through discard and waste, offers a unique archaeological understanding of the shifting values people of the modern world placed on commodities.
This short report presents the findings of the five-day pedestrian survey of potential settlement... more This short report presents the findings of the five-day pedestrian survey of potential settlement areas near the Ruined Castle shale mines, which operated in the late-19th and early-20th centuries in the Jamison Valley near Katoomba, NSW. Sponsored by the Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute, the survey revealed over 250 surface features, including the foundations of dwellings, artefact scatters and isolated finds, indicating the archaeological potential of the area. Preliminary investigation of documentary resources offers great potential for integrated historical-archaeological research into the lives of miners in isolated pre-World War I settlements in the Blue Mountains.
FAIMS Mobile is a native Android application supported by an Ubuntu server facilitating human-med... more FAIMS Mobile is a native Android application supported by an Ubuntu server facilitating human-mediated field research across disciplines. It consists of ‘core’ Java and Ruby software providing a platform for data capture, which can be deeply customised using ‘definition packets’ consisting of XML documents (data schema and UI) and Beanshell scripts (automation). Definition packets can also be generated using an XML-based domain-specific language, making customisation easier. FAIMS Mobile includes features allowing rich and efficient data capture tailored to the needs of fieldwork. It also promotes synthetic research and improves transparency and reproducibility through the production of comprehensive datasets that can be mapped to vocabularies or ontologies as they are created.
In 2007 the excavation of a city block occupied by the Menzies Centre Research Institute on the n... more In 2007 the excavation of a city block occupied by the Menzies Centre Research Institute on the northern fringe of Hobart CBD revealed the substantial remains of early-nineteenth-century architecture. The site was occupied by Hobart’s elite for a mix of residential and commercial use from the mid-1820s to the early twentieth century. It was excavated, conserved and interpreted by team of consultant archaeologists and other specialists working closely with the site owner and the local consent authority. In this paper, we introduce the history and archaeology of the site, focusing on one of the six historic allotments: 53 Campbell Street. We then discuss the conservation and interpretation of all surviving remains below the ground floor of a multi-storey medical research and teaching facility. We reflect on the process of building colonial histories in the regulatory framework of urban planning and embedding them in the landscapes of urban renewal.
International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 2011
ABSTRACT In this paper I argue for an expansion of the role of assemblage analysis in understandi... more ABSTRACT In this paper I argue for an expansion of the role of assemblage analysis in understanding daily life in nineteenth-century working-class neighborhoods. The close and systematic examination of quality manufacture of nineteenth-century domestic goods offers a material link to consumer decision-making. This is demonstrated in a study of material culture from working-class sites in Sydney and London.
International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 2005
Historical archaeologists have advocated the need to explore the archaeology of the modern city u... more Historical archaeologists have advocated the need to explore the archaeology of the modern city using several different scales or frames of reference—the household and the district being the most common. In this paper, we discuss the value of comparisons at larger scales, for example between cities or countries, as a basis for understanding archaeology of the modern western city. We argue that patterns of similarity and dissimilarity detected at these larger scales can (and should) become part of our interpretive and explanatory armoury, when it comes to understanding patterns and processes at smaller scales. However, we also believe that these larger scale enquiries do not by any means exhaust (or diminish the importance of) the site- or household-specific questions that continue to demand adequate answers. By reporting some of the thinking behind the work that has been done in Melbourne, Sydney and shortly to begin in London, we seek to more clearly establish the value of this broader comparative agenda in urban historical archaeology.
Exploring the Archaeology of the Modern City in Nineteenth-century Australia, 2019
This book presents research into the urban archaeology of 19th-century Australia. It focuses on t... more This book presents research into the urban archaeology of 19th-century Australia. It focuses on the detailed archaeology of 20 cesspits in The Rocks area of Sydney and the Commonwealth Block site in Melbourne. It also includes discussions of a significant site in Sydney – First Government House. The book is anchored around a detailed comparison of contents of 20 cesspits created during the 19th century, and examines patterns of similarity and dissimilarity, presenting analyses that work towards an integration of historical and archaeological data and perspectives. The book also outlines a transnational framework of comparison that assists in the larger context related to building a truly global archaeology of the modern city.
An Archaeology of Institutional Confinement: The Hyde Park Barracks, 1848-1886 , 2013
"The archaeological assemblage from the Hyde Park Barracks is one of the largest, most comprehens... more "The archaeological assemblage from the Hyde Park Barracks is one of the largest, most comprehensive and best preserved collections of artefacts from any 19th-century institution in the world.
Concealed for up to 160 years in the cavities between floorboards and ceilings, the assemblage is a unique archaeological record of institutional confinement, especially of women.
The underfloor assemblage dates to the period 1848 to 1886, during which a female Immigration Depot and a Government Asylum for Infirm and Destitute Women occupied the second and third floors of the Barracks.
Over the years the women discarded and swept beneath the floor thousands of clothing and textile fragments, tobacco pipes, religious items, sewing equipment, paper scraps and numerous other objects, many of which rarely occur in typical archaeological deposits.
These items are presented in detail in this book, and provide unique insight into the private lives of young female migrants and elderly destitute women, most of whom will never be known from historical records."
The abundance of goods in the modern world has a tendency to prejudice interpretation of their va... more The abundance of goods in the modern world has a tendency to prejudice interpretation of their value, but the way people value their goods is complex, relative and changeable — scarcity is just one factor. There is a long history of value theorization across the social sciences, but archaeological considerations of value remain uncommon and focused on prestige goods. In this paper, I review alternative conceptions of value through the lens of the modern world, with an example of Spode creamware used by a governor in the early decades of colonial Sydney. I argue that the process of devaluation, through discard and waste, offers a unique archaeological understanding of the shifting values people of the modern world placed on commodities.
The abundance of goods in the modern world has a tendency to prejudice interpretation of their va... more The abundance of goods in the modern world has a tendency to prejudice interpretation of their value, but the way people value their goods is complex, relative and changeable — scarcity is just one factor. There is a long history of value theorization across the social sciences, but archaeological considerations of value remain uncommon and focused on prestige goods. In this paper, I review alternative conceptions of value through the lens of the modern world, with an example of Spode creamware used by a governor in the early decades of colonial Sydney. I argue that the process of devaluation, through discard and waste, offers a unique archaeological understanding of the shifting values people of the modern world placed on commodities.
This short report presents the findings of the five-day pedestrian survey of potential settlement... more This short report presents the findings of the five-day pedestrian survey of potential settlement areas near the Ruined Castle shale mines, which operated in the late-19th and early-20th centuries in the Jamison Valley near Katoomba, NSW. Sponsored by the Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute, the survey revealed over 250 surface features, including the foundations of dwellings, artefact scatters and isolated finds, indicating the archaeological potential of the area. Preliminary investigation of documentary resources offers great potential for integrated historical-archaeological research into the lives of miners in isolated pre-World War I settlements in the Blue Mountains.
FAIMS Mobile is a native Android application supported by an Ubuntu server facilitating human-med... more FAIMS Mobile is a native Android application supported by an Ubuntu server facilitating human-mediated field research across disciplines. It consists of ‘core’ Java and Ruby software providing a platform for data capture, which can be deeply customised using ‘definition packets’ consisting of XML documents (data schema and UI) and Beanshell scripts (automation). Definition packets can also be generated using an XML-based domain-specific language, making customisation easier. FAIMS Mobile includes features allowing rich and efficient data capture tailored to the needs of fieldwork. It also promotes synthetic research and improves transparency and reproducibility through the production of comprehensive datasets that can be mapped to vocabularies or ontologies as they are created.
In 2007 the excavation of a city block occupied by the Menzies Centre Research Institute on the n... more In 2007 the excavation of a city block occupied by the Menzies Centre Research Institute on the northern fringe of Hobart CBD revealed the substantial remains of early-nineteenth-century architecture. The site was occupied by Hobart’s elite for a mix of residential and commercial use from the mid-1820s to the early twentieth century. It was excavated, conserved and interpreted by team of consultant archaeologists and other specialists working closely with the site owner and the local consent authority. In this paper, we introduce the history and archaeology of the site, focusing on one of the six historic allotments: 53 Campbell Street. We then discuss the conservation and interpretation of all surviving remains below the ground floor of a multi-storey medical research and teaching facility. We reflect on the process of building colonial histories in the regulatory framework of urban planning and embedding them in the landscapes of urban renewal.
International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 2011
ABSTRACT In this paper I argue for an expansion of the role of assemblage analysis in understandi... more ABSTRACT In this paper I argue for an expansion of the role of assemblage analysis in understanding daily life in nineteenth-century working-class neighborhoods. The close and systematic examination of quality manufacture of nineteenth-century domestic goods offers a material link to consumer decision-making. This is demonstrated in a study of material culture from working-class sites in Sydney and London.
International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 2005
Historical archaeologists have advocated the need to explore the archaeology of the modern city u... more Historical archaeologists have advocated the need to explore the archaeology of the modern city using several different scales or frames of reference—the household and the district being the most common. In this paper, we discuss the value of comparisons at larger scales, for example between cities or countries, as a basis for understanding archaeology of the modern western city. We argue that patterns of similarity and dissimilarity detected at these larger scales can (and should) become part of our interpretive and explanatory armoury, when it comes to understanding patterns and processes at smaller scales. However, we also believe that these larger scale enquiries do not by any means exhaust (or diminish the importance of) the site- or household-specific questions that continue to demand adequate answers. By reporting some of the thinking behind the work that has been done in Melbourne, Sydney and shortly to begin in London, we seek to more clearly establish the value of this broader comparative agenda in urban historical archaeology.
The Importance of British Material Culture to Historical Archaeologies of the Nineteenth Century , 2015
This paper will discuss the importance of British material culture in the development of archaeol... more This paper will discuss the importance of British material culture in the development of archaeological consumption studies in the 19th-century British Empire using a comparison between seven mid-19th century domestic assemblages from London and Sydney, Australia. Particular attention will be paid to the issue of quality in the analysis of ceramic and glass sherds. An integral component of the development of this quality-recording system is an assemblage of 1830s ceramic factory waste from Staffordshire, allowing a direct comparison of goods deemed unfit for market, and those which found their way into British and colonial homes. Britain was the center of global production for so many household goods in the British Empire and the United States during this period, and British assemblages offer a unique archaeological resource for exploring archaeologies of consumption and developing the methodologies of assemblage analysis.
Exploring the Archaeology of the Modern City in Nineteenth-century Australia, 2019
In this chapter we examine the manufacture and movement of goods. Just as people migrated about t... more In this chapter we examine the manufacture and movement of goods. Just as people migrated about the globe in the nineteenth century in response to a wide variety of historical circumstances, goods were made, transported and discarded within the parameters of changing cultural, technological and economic processes. In order to understand how patterns of material culture might reflect patterns of migration or the cultural norms and challenges of migration (i.e. the archaeology of migration), we must first understand the goods themselves. Here we introduce the concept of 'global material culture', a phrase which we use to describe the core range of domestic goods consumed throughout the world in the nineteenth century.
This chapter summarises the experience acquired by the Federated Archaeological Information Manag... more This chapter summarises the experience acquired by the Federated Archaeological Information Management Systems (FAIMS) project over the course of developing opensource software for archaeologists. open-source software development, which excels at coordinating discrete contributions from many people and organisations, offers the best hope for producing complex and expensive tools in a discipline where resources are limited.
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Concealed for up to 160 years in the cavities between floorboards and ceilings, the assemblage is a unique archaeological record of institutional confinement, especially of women.
The underfloor assemblage dates to the period 1848 to 1886, during which a female Immigration Depot and a Government Asylum for Infirm and Destitute Women occupied the second and third floors of the Barracks.
Over the years the women discarded and swept beneath the floor thousands of clothing and textile fragments, tobacco pipes, religious items, sewing equipment, paper scraps and numerous other objects, many of which rarely occur in typical archaeological deposits.
These items are presented in detail in this book, and provide unique insight into the private lives of young female migrants and elderly destitute women, most of whom will never be known from historical records."
Concealed for up to 160 years in the cavities between floorboards and ceilings, the assemblage is a unique archaeological record of institutional confinement, especially of women.
The underfloor assemblage dates to the period 1848 to 1886, during which a female Immigration Depot and a Government Asylum for Infirm and Destitute Women occupied the second and third floors of the Barracks.
Over the years the women discarded and swept beneath the floor thousands of clothing and textile fragments, tobacco pipes, religious items, sewing equipment, paper scraps and numerous other objects, many of which rarely occur in typical archaeological deposits.
These items are presented in detail in this book, and provide unique insight into the private lives of young female migrants and elderly destitute women, most of whom will never be known from historical records."
at coordinating discrete contributions from many people and organisations, offers the
best hope for producing complex and expensive tools in a discipline where resources
are limited.