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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 4 page discussion of how material culture can reflect a blending of cultural influences. Using the example of pottery from early slave quarters found in the archaeological record, this paper suggests a blending of white, slave, and Native American influences. Bibliography lists 1 source.
Page Count:
4 pages (~225 words per page)
File: AM2_PPslaveArchaeology.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
America is often more characterized by speculation than it is by fact. Most of the written records of this time, of course, were by those that oppressed the slaves
more so than by the slaves themselves. Fortunately, we have another means at our disposal that can add insight into this time in history. That means is archaeology.
While the archaeological exploration of slaves quarters and the like is a relatively new direction in the field, it is offering some phenomenal insight into a people and the
circumstances that made up their lives. This coupled with what we have in terms of a written history and oral interviews helps us understand these people and times better
than we have ever been able to in the past. Using the archaeological record as a guide, specifically the ceramic items found in the archaeological record, it can be
contended that the material culture of slaves was a reflection not just of the items that their white masters provided them but a record of products that the slaves made
for themselves. Furthermore, these products (ceramic cups, bowls and other items) hint at a blending of the material culture of the white slave owners, the material culture that the
slaves remembered in Africa, and the material culture of the Native American peoples that the slaves came into contact with in their lives in the Americas.
Ceramic items are one of the more dependable records in the archaeological record. By their very nature, they can last for hundreds and even thousands of
years. Ceramics are also important because of what they can tell us about the materials from which they are made (i.e. the clay and its origin as well as
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