Abstract
Ephemeral agricultural outbuildings and landscape elements that were integral to the management and production of Virginia plantations, such as barns, sheds, pens, and fence lines, are often difficult to locate and analyze using traditional archaeological survey and excavation techniques. The archaeological signatures of these types of sites are usually characterized by a relatively light scatter of nails, which can be efficiently found and preliminarily interpreted using a combination of metal-detector survey and nail-batch analysis. Drawing upon the historic Montpelier plantation as a case study, this study shows how these survey-level data can help archaeologists begin to interpret how outbuildings were located, constructed, deconstructed, and used in the 18th and 19th centuries. Using these easily replicated methodologies, archaeological data relating to ephemeral rural landscapes from a variety of regions and time periods can be recovered and examined, allowing for more holistic understandings of spaces and places in the past.
Extracto
Las dependencias agrícolas efímeras y los elementos del paisaje que eran integrales para el manejo y la producción de las plantaciones de Virginia, tales como graneros, cobertizos, corrales y cercas, a menudo son difíciles de ubicar y analizar utilizando técnicas tradicionales de exploración y excavación arqueológicas. Las firmas arqueológicas de estos tipos de sitios generalmente se caracterizan por una dispersión de clavos relativamente ligera, que se puede encontrar de manera eficiente e interpretar preliminarmente mediante una combinación de levantamiento con detectores de metales y análisis de lotes de clavos. Este estudio, basado en la histórica plantación de Montpelier como un estudio de caso, muestra cómo estos datos de nivel de exploración pueden ayudar a los arqueólogos a comenzar a interpretar cómo se ubicaron, construyeron, deconstruyeron y utilizaron las dependencias en los siglos XVIII y XIX. Al usar estas metodologías fácilmente replicadas, los datos arqueológicos relacionados con paisajes rurales efímeros de una variedad de regiones y períodos de tiempo se pueden recuperar y examinar, lo que permite una comprensión más holística de los espacios y lugares en el pasado.
Résumé
Les dépendances agricoles et éléments paysagers éphémères essentiels à la gestion et à la production des plantations de Virginie, dont les granges, remises et clôtures sont souvent difficiles à localiser et analyser à l’aide de nos techniques d’excavation et de sondage archéologiques traditionnelles. Les signatures archéologiques de ces types de sites sont habituellement caractérisées par des amas relativement petits de clous, lesquels peuvent être efficacement découverts et préalablement interprétés à l’aide d’un sondage par détecteur de métal et d’une analyse de clous en lot. Utilisant la plantation historique de Montpelier comme étude de cas, la présente étude démontre comment ces données de sondage peuvent aider les archéologies à interpréter la façon dont les dépendances étaient situées, construites, démontées et utilisées durant les 18e et 19e siècles. À l’aide de ces méthodes aisément répliquées, des données archéologiques sur les paysages ruraux éphémères de diverses régions et époques peuvent être récupérées et étudiées, dressant ainsi un portrait plus complet des espaces et des lieux du passé.
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Notes
To calculate the inequality index (I) use the following equations: First the deviance (D) between the number of nails belonging to each batch found at the site and the number of nails that would be expected if each batch had equal amounts of nails is calculated:
$$ D=\sum {\left(n/k\hbox{--} {b}_i\right)}^2 $$where n is the total number of complete nails at a site, k is the minimum number of nail batches at the site, and bi is the number of nails in each batch. Next, calculate the maximum deviance (Dmax) possible at the site:
$$ {D}_{max}=\left({\left(n/k-1\right)}^2\ast \left(k-1\right)\right)+{\left(n-\left(n/k\right)-\left(k-1\right)\right)}^2 $$Finally, the square root of the observed deviance divided by the maximum deviance provides the inequality index (I):
$$ I=\surd D/{D}_{max} $$In the case that n=k, then the inequality index of the site cannot be calculated; however, such a site can be assigned a value of 0, since each nail batch would, by definition, contain a single nail.
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Reeves, M., Schweickart, E. Identifying and Analyzing Agricultural Landscapes Using Metal-Detector Survey and Nail-Batch Analysis. Hist Arch 53, 412–431 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41636-019-00188-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41636-019-00188-6