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

by James Deetz

Deetz's Flowerdew Hundred is a synopsis of the result of 25 years of archaeological investigations at Flowerdew Hundred, a former plantation on the south side of the James River in Prince George County, Virginia. Throughout the work, Deetz conveys the importance of combining historiography and archaeology to a reach a better understanding of the past. This multidirectional approach is displayed as Deetz examines smoking-pipe stems, Colono-ware pottery and post-in-ground buildings, at Flowerdew. Through examining regional history of the Chesapeake, comparing the Flowerdew archaeological record with that along the eastern seaboard (particularly in regards to icehouses and pits), and looking at the architecture of Salem, South Africa, Deetz is able to construct a contextual history of Flowerdew in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. For archaeologists, amateurs, and the general public, the book simplistically relays the intertwining of history, archaeology and folk studies, and of course, reveals a glimpse into life on a Virginia plantation.

Genres: Archaeology, History, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Myra Flowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book because my husband's family came to Virginia in the 1640s near the Flowerdew site. There is no relation between his family, the Flowers, actually Flower back then, and the name Flowerdew but there is a similarity in dates and places. I gained a respect for archaeology by reading this book. I loved chapter 6 where he writes about the link between archaeology, folklore, record and deed searches and similarity to sites across the world. . Cool book.

[Ted Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took 5 courses just because he was teaching them

[Hillary Borders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for Historical Archaeology

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was interested in reading this book not only because I'm an archaeologist but according to folks on my grandmother's side of the family, my earliest European ancestor to arrive in America spent time at this plantation. He wasn't mentioned in the book, though.