Just to keep this in perspective, I recommend everyone track down a copy of
Ralph Merrifield's book on magic in archaeology sites. I cannot recall the
title right now, but you can Google it. This is the single most best
source to begin your understanding of concealment features because the author is
an archaeologist.
Ron May
Legacy 106, Inc.
In a message dated 6/14/2009 9:13:05 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
I see concealed artifacts quite regularly in Central Virginia in
structures that date to Antebellum times (...and were frequently utilized until the
turn of the 20th century as servants quarters, sheds, etc.). Iron artifacts
are common but other materials are seen as well (e.g. embossed serving
trays, marble sized blue glass beads, etc.). Many times the iron artifacts
are bent (e.g. small butter knife with bent/curled tang end). A frequently
seen artifact type is woodworking tools or other small-medium sized carpentry
tools.
talk to someone who is in the antique building materials business. these
folks routinely disassemble historic structures and many keep photos of the
items they find stuck in between the logs or under the floors of historic
buildings.
Raymond Ezell, RPA
Senior Archaeologist
ECS Mid-Atlantic, LLC
915 Maple Grove Drive, Suite 206, Fredericksburg, VA 22407
T: 540-785-6100 F: 540-785-3577 C: 540-379-5518
[log in to unmask] • www.ecslimited.com
________________________________
From: Ron May <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Sunday, June 14, 2009 3:23:13 AM
Subject: Re: Concealed Hoe Blade and Outbuilding Converted to a Dwelling?
Megan,
Although I have not heard of a hoe in a concealment, I suppose it is
possible. When they concealed coins, scissors, knives, pins, and needles,
they
bent the items as part of the concealment ritual. If your hoe was not
bent
in some way, there might be reason to question the interpretation (like
maybe they were hiding a weapon or instrument of a crime). That said, the
ritual
and meaning of the practice most likely evolved over time between Europe
and America. I would think that people continued a poorly explained
ritual, rationalized it in a Christian context, and made do with what they
could
find. Then there is the belief in "iron" and its magical properties. Some
people from the Old World ascribed iron as a material that could repel or
injure otherworld spirits (depending on who you read).
And I should point out that not all items concealed are for ritual magic
(which, by the way, some authors spell "magick" to distinguish from the
garden variety of illustionists). I once worked with a crew on a 1830s
vintage
Mexican era house in Old Town San Diego that yielded a cluster of a dozen
or
so old clay marbles. Just about everyone on the crew interpreted this to
mean a child hid a sack of marbles under the dirt beneath the floorboards
and the sack rotted.
Since we are on the topic of concealments, I thought to ask if you found
buried horse bones under the floorboards? In Wales, horse skulls were
buried
to protect the future residents. In pre-Christian times, entire horses
were
buried, but the practice evolved to burying skulls. Horses played an
important role in Celtic ideology.
Ron May
Legacy 106, Inc.
In a message dated 6/13/2009 2:14:52 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
Greetings,
Has anyone encountered hoe blades or other iron tools in concealed
contexts? I have one that was recovered concealed in the framing for the
first floor ceiling, immediately south of a chimney. I have done a fair
bit of reading on concealed ritual objects, and though I've found
references to the uses of iron, and their placement near chimneys, I
haven't found any reference to hoes or other relatively large iron
objects.
Also, has anyone encountered dwellings that were built by converting
existing outbuildings? The framing of the two-story dwelling indicates
that it was built by converting a single story, slope-roofed,
crudely-built outbuilding. The outbuilding was constructed using
repurposed wood from some other building, as well as tree trunks, several
of which retain their bark.
The questions are both regarding the same context; the building appears to
have been converted to a dwelling in the mid-1850s or so.
Regards,
Megan Springate, RPA
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