Household Ceramics at Port Royal, Jamaica, 1655-1692

ISBN-13: 9781841715605 / Angielski / Miękka / 2003 / 180 str.

Madeleine J. Donachie

Opis

In 1692 an earthquake destroyed and submerged half of the Jamaican city of Port Royal, a thriving and prosperous commercial centre in the late 17th century. From 1981 to 1990 the Institute of Nautical Archaeology and the Texas A & M University in conjunction with the Jamaican National Heritage Trust conducted an underwater excavation of the city's remains. This volume publishes some of the ceramic data from the site, namely Building 4/5 which Donachie identifies as a possible inn or restaurant. The different types of ceramics present, from coarsewares to porcelain, their quantities and function, are discussed with a view to reconstructing the social activities taking place in the building as well as allowing inferences on the standard of living and customs of the city as a whole. Comparative material from two contemporary non-Jamaican sites are discussed and the assemblage is placed within the context of British and local pottery production during this period.

From 1981 to 1990, the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA), in conjunction with Texas A&M University (TAMU) and the Jamaica National Heritage Trust, excavated a portion of the underwater English colonial city of Port Royal in Jamaica. Port Royal, an important international commercial centre in the late 17th century, was destroyed in 1692 by an earthquake, which sank over half of the city beneath the waters of Kingston Bay. The INA/TAMU investigation has resulted in an extensive collection of artifacts and other material remains contemporary with the disaster. This study examines the ceramic inventory of one of the most fully excavated buildings in the heart of old Port Royal. As household wares, the pottery vessels recovered from the site provide important data on the customs and standard of living of the building’s occupants. By extension, they reveal certain social aspects of the town as a whole and provide information about the kinds of material goods that were available to New World colonial settlers at the end of the 17th century. Minimum vessel counts, by ceramic ware, form, and functional classification, are the basis for the analysis. The assemblage is looked at in the general context of all of the ceramics recovered from the Port Royal site, as investigated by INA/TAMU. It is also compared with similarly well-dated groups from two non-Jamaican sites. English pottery inventories from the 17th century and household probate inventories from Port Royal are examined to cast light on ceramic usage and markets. Social commentaries of the period and northern European paintings of interior scenes provide a snapshot of the everyday roles of ceramic vessels.