James Deetz (1930–2000)

"If we could find in some way find a way to understand the significance of artifacts as they were thought of and used by Americans in the past, we might gain new insight into the history of our nation." Such is the purview of the historical archaeologist. In this small book, James Deetz, gives us a short, very readable and intriguing overview of some of the interesting work done by historical archaeologists, including himself, in New England (he does occasionally reference work done in show more Virginia and other early colonies). He begins by noting that there are certain factors that favor the survival of some objects and not others, and those surviving objects are 'not necessarily representative of their period.' So, as not to rely solely on museum collections, historical archaeologists do digs.

Deitz shows us how such objects found reveal how people lived and thought in early times. He discusses three early periods in our cultural history and his chapters explore such topics as gravestones, buildings, ceramics, but also the changes in tools, food preparation, the disposal of refuse, furniture (lack of chairs!) and music. Intriguingly, He also discusses a dig of the once small community of African Americans near Plymouth, Massachusetts, called “Parting Ways” which show ties back to African roots. There are so many interesting bits in this book.

At the end of the book Deitz implores us NOT to forget the little, seemingly insignificant things "for in the seemingly little and insignificant existence is captured. We must remember these bits and pieces, and we must use them in new and imaginative ways so that a different appreciation for what life is today, and was in the past, can be achieved. The written document has its proper and important place, but there is also a time when we should set aside of perusal of diaries, court records, and inventories, and listen to another voice… "Don’t read what we have written; look at what we have done."

The reader will probably not look at his or her fork quite the same again. show less

This is one of my favourite books, even though it inspires historical archaeology envy in me. It is a very readable melding of documentary research with archaeological evidence. The mundane becomes important, and sheds light onto ordinary lives. This is history almost lierally, from the bottom up. Deetz brings humanity into archaeology, and discusses everything from why Americans eat with forks in the right hand and Europeans in the left, to foodways in various classes of colonial American show more society to the life cycle of crockery and stylistic changes in gravestone carving. show less

Excellent book on historical archaeology, which is the part of archaeology that makes use of the written historical record as well as excavation and more traditional archaeological techniques. The author restricts the field to "the spread of European cultures since the 15th century and their impact and interaction with the cultures of indigenous people." I think that's a little TOO restrictive (surely other cultures had their own written records for that time period?), but I'm not an show more archaeologist so maybe there are reasons for the definition that I'm not aware of.

In any case, Deetz discusses New England archaeology in detail, which is why I'm re-reading the book. I've been systematically walking the Massachusetts coastline taking pictures of the first and second period houses. You can really see the transition he discusses from the asymmetric houses common in the 17th century to the highly symmetric Georgian houses of the 18th — it's dramatic. Essex and Duxbury MA in particular are like a case study. Deetz says the 17th century designs were meant to conform to nature (a medieval point of view) while the 18th century designs challenged it with their rigid symmetry.

It makes me wonder whether we're at the start of a fourth period, where we'll still embrace technology but will also try to make it work with nature in the name of not destroying our species. I'm starting to see signs of it, notably in the number of solar panels and windmills dotting the Massachusetts landscape. There's also a great deal of online discussion of "green" design, which includes things like orienting houses to take advantage of the sunshine and insulation techniques that reduce the need for heating and air conditioning. An eventual "fourth period house" might end up looking a lot like a first period one, but with 21st century materials and techniques.

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Having finished the book, I think Deetz makes a strong case for historical archaeology overall, but I have one nit to pick. Deetz claims as part of his thesis (as I interpreted it) that artifacts are a less biased source of information than the historical record. In some ways it's true (potsherds can't lie) but the weak point of that argument is that artifacts require interpretation and proper context or they can be misleading. Deetz himself says so! He discusses the case of "Colono ware", a type of African American pottery initially misidentified as "Colono Indian ware" because of the false supposition that it was produced by Native Americans. Clearly Deetz knows that the archaeologists sometimes goof outrageously, yet in the very next chapter he's back to claiming that artifacts are a more objective record. It seems to me that in trusting the historical record versus the archaeological record, one is simply trading off the biases of the contemporary people versus the biases of the modern excavators. show less

James Deetz was one of the founders of the field of historical archaeology and was one of the people who helped set up Plymouth Plantation. This book describes the history of Plymouth Colony from the Mayflower's landing to the 1690s with an emphasis on everyday life rather than the big historical events. It is a very idiosyncratic book, mostly by James I think, but completed by his wife Patricia. The text is entirely in the third person, which sounds ridiculous when James is talking about show more himself and even MORE ridiculous when Patricia is talking about her husband! There are four main sections.

The first part spends half a chapter talking about Thanksgiving and dispelling the standard Pilgrim myths. The first "thanksgiving" was really the 17th century English holiday of Harvest Home; the settlers were outnumbered by the indians at the feast; Plymouth rock was just some rock that an old guy — 121 years after the event — swore up and down his dad said was THE rock the forefathers stepped on, and so forth. After the debunking, Deetz gives a blow by blow of the events of 1620/21. This is riveting, reads like Swiss Family Robinson, and is worth the price of the book by itself.

The second part is about the historical record and gives detail on stuff like what the crimes were in Plymouth colony: adultery, sodomy, buggery (not to be confused with sodomy — buggery was what we'd call bestiality), fornication, witchcraft, rape, and murder. In many respects Plymouth's legal system, while harsh and unreasonable by modern standards, was reformed compared to the English system they'd left behind. There's also discussion of how the worldview of the 17th century differs from the present. People tended to blame inanimate objects, belief in witchcraft and superstitions were rampant, etc. The two cases of witchcraft in Plymouth colony are discussed. Nobody was put to death, a nice example of how Plymouth's laws were far more lenient than England's or the Massachusetts Bay Colony's. This part of the book gets a little dull since it is full of lists of objects from probate inventories, but the stories about the settlers and their legal disputes are worth it. Trust me, you want to read about that case of buggery.

The third part is about the archaeological digs, some of which James Deetz directly participated in. There's a lot of talk about how objects are dated, what kind of objects are typically found — lots of pipe stems! — and what conclusions can be drawn from them.

The book ends with a long description of how Plymouth Plantation, a living history museum, was constructed. Deetz was actually part of the events so it is a behind the scenes first-hand perspective, including some quiet criticism. The Plantation went through several stages of increasing realism. In the 1950s the Pilgrim myths were well represented, but as time went on the museum conducted actual archaeology and threw out the idiotic elements.

Overall I can recommend this book with a few misgivings. The tone of the book careens wildly from chapter to chapter. Sometimes there are random personal reminisces added that don't belong in the book. (Or maybe they should go in a foreword or afterword.) Finally, at one point Patricia cuts in with a lengthy ode to her husband that is embarrassing to read. These flaws make this a four star book rather than five. show less