Honoring Ancestors in Sacred Space: The Archaeology of an Eighteenth-Century African-Bahamian Cemetery (Florida Museum of Natural History: Ripley P. Bullen Series)

Abstract

authors employed a map with documentation of the voyages of the Concorde prior to its capture by Blackbeard and his crew. The subsequent maps on pages 26–27 show the documented location of the QAR after the capture of the Concorde on November 17, 1717. There is a sense of a clear geographic and temporal baseline for the reader and allows for successive chapters to describe the evidence of the ship prior to its end as both the Concorde and the Queen Anne’s Revenge. Chapter 6 discusses the abundant material evidence associated with the QAR site. The authors do acknowledge that the “full and final story” has yet to be realized due to partial investigation and because much of the artifacts are still in concreted form (p. 89). The QAR findings are discussed as a “fascinating peek” of the QAR under the command of Blackbeard. The authors begin revealing the material remains of the hull exterior, then delve into the interior with an interesting look at finds such as cannons, navigational equipment, bells, ballast and a copious amount of weaponry. Many historical inaccuracies and generalizations of this period of piracy conjure images of disorder. The film industry has facilitated inaccuracy related to colonial piracy. I am reminded of the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011). Set in the 1750s, the Hollywood Blackbeard is alive and well, despite dying in 1718, as indicated on page 166. It is understandable that a film universe such as this that is set in the 1740–50s, needs a nameworthy antagonist and would feel the need to resurrect Edward Thache. This is one of many inaccuracies. I will not expand, but it is these types of errors that promulgate inaccuracy and confusion to the broader public. One interesting counter the authors make is how the QAR, and more accurate representations, have seeped into popular culture. This is demonstrated by the popular television quiz show Jeopardy! taking notice and giving the QAR and Blackbeard a more accurate depiction. It is clear from the discussion in Chapter 6 that order is vastly important and clearly maintained when ships like the Concorde transitioned into pirate hands. The vignette, the Duties of a Ship’s Surgeon by Dr. Carnes-McNaughton, one of the principal authors, discusses the medical treatment of the crew and the regime of the ship surgeon and the day-to-day management of this important job. This gives an amazing glance at the medical science of the time and the surprisingly professional and serious occupation of a ship’s surgeon aboard a vessel in the early eighteenth-century, whether in French or pirate form. Additionally, particularly noteworthy is a vignette titled Tales of Pirate Repasts discussing the hundreds of artifacts representing the diet of the crew. The varied range of animal bone depicts the diverse diet of the buccaneers, such as beef, pork, fowl and fish. The zooarchaeological evidence even shows rat bones and gnawing marks on a porringer, indicating a typical “stowaway.” I have excavated several early eighteenth-century sites in South Carolina where good preservation is rare, and I am awed by the time capsule that the QAR site provides given the circumstances. Terrestrial archaeological sites typically are damaged and altered in some way where information is obscured. This is similar with regards to underwater sites. The fact the QAR site remained in particularly good condition after three hundred years is a windfall for archaeology. Coupled with this, the investigation of the final days of the QAR is extraordinary. The authors and the QAR team have, through the documentary evidence, articulated an inspiring visual story of how the practice of historical archaeology can be successful, not only for the archaeological community, but for everyone. The book, Blackbeard’s Sunken Prize, is an achievement not only in archaeology, but in its unfettered access to the public at large.