International Journal of Historical Archaeology最新文献

This paper focuses on two manors, Kumo in Finland and Duvnäs in Sweden, through early sixteenth-century written sources and material remains. Both were, one after the other, in the custody of Olof Svart (obiit 1547), who was one of Gustav I’s earliest administrators. Through a combination of historical and archaeological methods, including map studies, a successful career in the service of Sweden’s first Early Modern king is traced and placed in the cultural landscape.

Within a landscape, boundaries are the physically or socially defined lines that mark the limits of spaces. They can appear static and binary, and therefore analytically restricted. Yet it is argued here that while space is often analyzed in archaeology to inform social, economic, or institutional interpretations of a landscape, the analysis of boundaries is a complimentary method that captures movement, control, and prohibition mechanisms. Analyzing boundaries is shown to reveal aspects of change – sometimes diachronic and sometimes ephemeral – and a malleability that is often linked to materiality. The examination of the early nineteenth-century historical boundaries of Point Puer, a juvenile convict prison (1834–49) located in lutruwita/Tasmania, Australia, is used as a case study to illustrate their common archaeological forms. It is reasoned that the analysis of boundaries contributes dynamic interpretations of historical landscapes by theorizing boundaries as spatial frameworks to examine social and experiential elements of space.

Historiographic debate in Australia over whether or not the asymmetrical conflicts between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in the colonial period can be characterized as “war” remains unresolved, largely because most such events did not involve the traditional military. In this regard the situation in Queensland merits special attention, since much of the conflict in that colony from 1848 onward was conducted by a particular government paramilitary organization: the Queensland Native Mounted Police (NMP). In trying to understand the operations of this force, we adopt KOCOA terrain analysis, coupled with the forensic analysis of firing pin impressions on discharged Snider cartridge primers, to visualize how features around NMP camps affected and contributed to the use of firearms within these spaces. Given the well-recognized nexus between tactics of hunting and warfare, we argue that it is through the lens of training (both as hunters and soldiers) that we can best understand the Indigenous troopers of the NMP, as well as the strategies and tactics applied by the Queensland NMP in the context of the asymmetrical violence that characterized the Australian frontier.

Abstract

Determining a ship’s identity is usually based on a critical and integral analysis of several approaches and lines of evidence. Based on Harpster's seminal work, an insight into this endeavour is developed here for the Deltebre I site. The archaeological information obtained since 2008 from the remains of the cargo, hull structure, equipment, and personal possessions, combined with documentary data, helped to address the dating, type, function, and provenance of the vessel. More specifically, we discuss its links with the British ordnance ships Southampton and Magnum Bonum, lost in 1813 at the mouth of the Ebro river, Spain.

This paper considers the value of past and prospective applications of key environmental archaeological and earth science fields relating to the historical ecology of Mauritius and the Mascarene islands more broadly: palaeoecology, geoarchaeology, zooarchaeology and climate studies. The contribution of each subfield is outlined with the aim of demonstrating the potential value of an integrated environmental archaeological approach for developing a long-term understanding of the human ecology of Mauritius and its associated islands. The paper considers the potential and limitations of existing approaches and data, as well as future challenges. Beyond solely reconstructing the nuances of anthropogenic impact on the environment in relation to the island’s history of settlement, we argue that environmental archaeology can contribute to an understanding of “biocultural diversity” as an integral element of Mauritian heritage, bridging the divide between cultural and natural heritage.

This article combines ethnographic and anthropological research with archaeology to explore the significance of archaeological sites as historical elements and their continuous reinterpretation in Haiti. By examining the connection of people with traces of colonial plantations, caves, and Indigenous rock art, this study contextualizes archaeology and heritage within the current social context. The research reveals archaeological sites are characterized by contemporary traces of uses by individuals today. These traces are associated with stories tied to renegotiations of meaning to places, and their contestation, construction of belonging, and memories are among the elements that make sense of heritage-making. The study emphasizes the importance of place meaning and heritage, offering valuable perspectives for future archaeological investigations and contributing to broader discourses on material history in the Caribbean.

In the early nineteenth century, the Western Caribbean, particularly the Archipelago of San Andres, Old Providence, and Santa Catalina, became the focal point of ambitious hydrographic surveys. Despite the region's rich maritime heritage, challenges posed by complex geomorphology, frequent hurricanes, and cold fronts led to historical charting inadequacies, turning the Archipelago into a perilous ship trap. This study delves into the Spanish Armada (1804–05) and the Royal Navy (1833–36) hydrographic surveys to interpret the Maritime Cultural Landscape (MCL) of the archipelago. The importance of the archipelago as a link between South America, the Isthmus of Panama, Havana (Cuba), and Europe highlights the significance of these surveys. A comparative analysis of the Spanish and British methods offers insights into their strategies amid the perilous survey environment. While integration of Spanish nautical information into the British survey is evident, it culminated in the wreck of HMS Jackdaw, illustrating mapping expedition complexities. This paper also evaluates the accuracy of British cartography using Geographic Information System (GIS) methodologies. By overlaying the 1835 Old Providence Island chart onto contemporary 2021 cartography, we showcase the standards and precision of British surveys through an analysis of coastline and hydrographic soundings. Personal memoirs, official records, and descriptive accounts weave the narrative of the rich MCL, emphasizing its historical importance, the region's maritime identity, and the intertwining of environmental factors and cultural heritage.

This article presents the general historical context of the mass shootings in the fall of 1939 in the pre-war Gdańsk Pomerania, Poland, and introduces the very term “Pomeranian Crime of 1939.” The executions in the Szpęgawski Forest, where between 2,413 and 7,000 people lost their lives, illustrate of the process itself. The results of archaeological research carried out at the site of the mass killings in the Szpęgawski Forest in 2023 is used as a case study. Archaeological research is shedding new light on the crime and its cover-up through analyses of the material evidence.

Previous archaeological investigations at Mission La Purísima Concepción unearthed a concentration of glass and ceramic vessels under a floor within a room in adobe barracks where Chumash families resided. Early interpretations suggested a person of European ancestry lived there; however, we argue they were Indigenous to California. We propose that the individuals who lived in the room had achieved a different axis of social distinction, holding prominent positions within the mission’s social hierarchy. Drawing on ethnohistoric accounts, the occupants were either the family of a Native alcalde (governor) or another influential couple who figured prominently in mission records listed as a padrino (godfather), madrina (godmother), testigo (witness), intérprete (interpreter), or enfermero (nurse). Moreover, we demonstrate that the glass and ceramic vessels represent a unique caching event during the Mexican period when Native officials lacked the means to reform the missions or have a stake in their survival. These data are crucial to understanding the enormous diversity that formed the fabric of Indigenous communities in California missions and Indigenous autonomy over successive waves of colonialism. Such re-examination of museum collections is essential in a field with a growing curation crisis.