Historical Archaeology in South Africa : Material Culture of the Dutch East India Company at the Cape

This volume documents the analysis of excavated historical archaeological collections at the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa. The corpus provides a rich picture of life and times at this distant outpost of an immense Dutch seaborne empire during the contact period. Representing over three decades of excavation, conservation, and analysis, the book examines ceramics, glass, metal, and other categories of artifacts in their archaeological contexts. An enclosed CD includes a video reconstruction plus a comprehensive catalog and color illustrations of the artifacts in the corpus. The parallels and contrasts this volume reveals will help scholars studying the European expansion period to build a richer comparative picture of colonial material culture. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 DEDICATION 3 Table of Contents 6 List of Figures 7 List of Tables 13 Contents of the Enclosed CD 16 CHAPTER 1 The Background of the Archaeology of the VOC at the Cape 18 CHAPTER 2 History, Architecture, and Archaeology of Selected VOC Sites at the Cape 30 CHAPTER 3 Faunal Analysis and the Development of the Meat Industry at the VOC Cape in the 17th and 18th Centuries 66 CHAPTER 4 Asian Ceramic Collections from VOC Sites at the Cape 102 CHAPTER 5 Coarse Earthenware Collections from VOC sites at the Cape 144 CHAPTER 6 European Stoneware Collections from VOC sites at the Cape 166 CHAPTER 7 Tin-Glazed, Refined, and Industrial Earthenwares from VOC Sites at the Cape 182 CHAPTER 8 Glass Collections from VOC Sites at the Cape 188 CHAPTER 9 Objects of Personal Adornment at VOC Sites at the Cape 206 CHAPTER 10 Metals and Associated Artifacts from Oudepost I, Cape 214 CHAPTER 11 Analysis of Gunflints from VOC Sites at the Cape 222 CHAPTER 12 Implications and Prospects of the Archaeology of the VOC at the Cape 232 Appendix A Castle of Good Hope: Archaeological Excavations 1970s-1990 246 Appendix B Reconstructing Oudepost I, the VOC Outpost at Saldanha Bay 252 Appendix C Oudepost I: Stratigraphic Units Listed Within Each Area from Youngest to Oldest 262 Appendix D Oudepost I: Analysis of Bowl Shapes from Intertidal Dump, DP 266 Appendix E Bottle Analysis 268 Appendix F Objects of Personal Adornment 270 Index 278 About the Authors 288 Supplemental CD-ROM contents: Includes a video reconstruction plus a comprehensive catalogue and colour illustrations of the artifacts in the corpus