NEW BLOG POST: Is Jamestown the "birthplace of America"?

In light of last week's American Independence Day on 4th July, I
revisited the 2006 special issue of  Post-Medieval Archaeology on the
founding of England's first permanent settlement in North America,
Jamestown, Virginia in 1607.
 
In her article 'Archaeology and the construction of America's Jamestown'
Audrey Horning reviews the history of archaeological research on the
site and the use of archaeology in the symbolic construction of
Jamestown as 'America's Birthplace'. It is argued that the
archaeological construction of Jamestown as an American icon ultimately
constrains understanding of the site in terms of its broader Atlantic
world context, obscuring the motivations, experiences and expectations
of the Europeans who made their way to Virginia, and rendering the
considerable native presence invisible. Findings from the most recent
projects on the Island, placed in the context of past investigations,
allow for an evaluation of the significance of Jamestown's archaeology
in the twentieth-century.

>> Read the full blog post: http://www.c-u-d-i.blogspot.com 

Jennie Agar
Archaeology & Heritage Team

Can you dig it? A new blog in archaeology and heritage: 
http://www.c-u-d-i.blogspot.com