Sub-floor deposits
Dear Erin,
you'll find some examination of sub-floor concealments in my PhD thesis:
Touching Magic - Deliberately Concealed Objects in old Australian Houses
and Buildings (University of Newcastle, NSW, 2010). It's available for
download from the following DropBox link: http://db.tt/dbiR5JOr.
All of the deposits referred to, whether shoes, cats, garments or other
artifacts had an apotropaic function.
I gather the Fremantle Gaol finds include this type of material. That was
to be expected: concealments of this type appear to be largely a response
to stress of various kinds. In a domestic environment, the deaths of
children have been found to result in concealments. While prison stressors
would be very different the result would be the same: an attempt to obtain
personal protection from the use of magic.
Above-ground level deposits are examined in the thesis, including those at
Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney, and at least one other location.
Television coverage of this subject can be found at the following links
which will take you to reports by BBC World News and ABC Television, Hobart.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-11-28/ritual-magic/3698948
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16801512
Yours etc,
Ian Evans
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Date: Fri, 11 May 2012 04:54:42 +0100
From: Erin Mein <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Sub floor deposits - dust & taphonomy
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Dear all
Apologies for any cross posting!
I am currently undertaking some research into deposits found underneath the
floorboards of cells in Fremantle Prison, Western Australia. From reading
previous threads it seems that many people have retrieved artefacts from
underfloor spaces and inside walls etc. I am wondering if anyone has had a
chance to look more closely at the actual depositional material or 'dust'
itself?=20
At Fremantle Prison, I am particularly interested in the material found in
the upper storey cells because of the high degree of preservation in this
context. We have retrieved a lot of really fragile material such as paper
from newspapers, books, handrolled cigarettes etc that was not preserved in
the subsurface deposits we excavated from a ground floor cell (for obvious
reasons). The deposit itself appears to be a mixture of material made up
of human detritus such as hair and 'bumfluff' (for want of a more technical
term!) as well as other organic material including fibres, insect larvae,
rodent skeletons etc
Considering the history of the site it seems likely that the material was
deposited there through a combination of concealment or rubbish disposal by
prisoners and rodent activity. Although distinguishing between the two
processes seems problematic judging from previous discussions.
Beyond the work done at the Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney (Australia), I am
having trouble finding any work on sub-floor deposits, in particular from
the upper storeys of buildings. If anyone could point me in the direction
of any studies along these lines or has any comments on taphonomic
processes in sub-floor contexts it would be much appreciated!
Regards,
Erin Mein
Honours Student
Department of Archaeology - University of Western Australia
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-----------------------------
Ian Evans, OAM, PhD
The Flannel Flower Press & World of Old Houses (www.oldhouses.com.au)
PO Box 591
Mullumbimby, NSW, Australia 2482
Phone/fax 02 6684 7677 (+612 6684 7677)
--
-----------------------------
Ian Evans, OAM, PhD
The Flannel Flower Press & World of Old Houses (www.oldhouses.com.au)
PO Box 591
Mullumbimby, NSW, Australia 2482
Phone/fax 02 6684 7677 (+612 6684 7677)
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