Old Village and Great House

Rediscovering the lives of enslaved people in JamaicaA combination of archaeological and historical study, The Old Village and the Great House examines life within enslaved, and later free, laborer households at a Jamaican sugar plantation. Douglas V. Armstrong draws on excavations in house-yard areas to create a case study comparison between the lives of enslaved workers and the planter class. As Armstrong shows, archaeological analysis and historical research reveal a firsthand record of people's lives and the emergence of an African-Jamaican community. Detailed descriptions of artifacts, structural remains, and dietary refuse combine with written accounts to provide insight into the lives of enslaved people and African-Jamaican transformations.