Flowerdew Hundred: The Archaeology of a Virginia Plantation, 1619-1864

By James Deetz

Book Overview

This is the story of Flowerdew Hundred, the plantation Sir George Yeardley established on the south side of the James River. The archaeological records of the site, in the form of broken dishes, bones, building remains and other materials, are used to reconstruct 250 years of life at Flowerdew.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0813914612
• ISBN13: 9780813914619
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: Univ of Virginia Pr
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.0" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

Fine introduction to historical archaeology

Writing about the archaeology of more than a dozen unrelated sites that existed over a period of 250 years is not a simple task. The late Jim Deetz, a fine writer, does his best to make sense of a lot of digging that took place over a period of more than twenty years. The account unavoidably drags in places. (Do we really care that much whether blacks or Indians made the inferior pottery known as Colono ware?) But Deetz's stylistic grace and sense of proportion keeps the inconsequential from getting out of hand. The introduction and final chapter contain excellent discussions of historical archaeology as a discipline.

Flowerdew Hundred: A Review

This book discusses the History of a Virgina Platation seen through the eyes of those that came long after the people who lived and toiled had departed. This story is about people. Some we know of,and some we don't. This is the story of their lives, told through the broken dishes and pipes that remain. James Deetz weaves together the history of this plantation to create a wonderous tapastry for all to enjoy, even if you arent an archeologist.