Location: St. Eustatius, Netherlands Antilles

Season Dates: January 15, 2004 - December 15, 2015
Session Dates: Sessions continiously from January to September
Application Deadline:

Website: http://www.secar.org/

Program Type
Field school
Volunteer

Affiliation: St. Eustatius Center for Archaeological Research (SECAR)

Project Director: R. Grant Gilmore III, PhD, RPA, IFA, Director of SECAR

Project Description

St. Eustatius (or Statia) was the primary trans-shipment center in the Atlantic World between 1760 and 1800- Capitalism started here. During the American Revolution, Holland and France supplied US forces with much needed arms and ammunition through this port. Finally, the existence of the United States was first recognized by a foreign power here in November 1776 when a salute was fired to the USS Andrew Doria. Although the island is only 22km2, there are over 90 documented plantation sites, 400 warehouse ruins, six church sites, numerous urban domestic and commercial structures (houses, taverns, brothels, stores, printing presses, etc), 20+ fortifications, and an estimated 200+ shipwrecks located on and around the island. As a result, the island is considered to have the densest concentration of colonial period artifacts and sites for any location of comparable size anywhere in the world. Also, pre-historic sites are some of the best preserved in the Caribbean. A wide range of archaeological projects have been undertaken since 1979 by the College of William and Mary (USA), Leiden University (The Netherlands), and the Institute of Archaeology, University College London (UK). The St. Eustatius Center for Archaeological Research (SECAR) has been established on the island as a permanent research facility designed to permit a continuous excavation program during much of the year. Many US and UK universities allow academic credit to be earned through participation in SECAR projects. We are now working on a1740s Plantation Site just on the outskirts of Oranjestad. Recent projects have included discovery of a colonial Jewish Ceremonial Bath or Mikveh at Synagogue Honen Dalim (one of the oldest in the New World) and a Pottery Production site on Oranje Bay, and the first paleopathological study of a leper asylum anywhere in the New World. In 2010 we will likely be working at the Cantor's house near Synagogue Honen Dalim.

Period(s) of Occupation: 2500 B.P. - Present

Project Size: 1-24 participants

Minimum Length of Stay for Volunteers: 1 week

Minimum Age: 18

Experience Required: None

Room and Board Arrangements

Low cost dormitory style housing is available (bunk beds, self catering etc). Hotel accommodation across a spectrum of comfort levels may also be found on the island. There are also several bed-and-breakfast type accommodations. Transportation to and from sites will be provided. Taking advantage SCUBA and snorkeling opportunities is also encouraged.

Cost: Contact us for prices and discounts for group bookings

Academic Credit
Name of institution offering credit: Ask us about arranging credits at your university
Number of credits offered: Through independent study
Tuition: Contact us for prices and discounts for group bookings

Contact Information
R. Grant Gilmore III, PhD, RPA,, IFA
St. Eustatius Center for Archaeological Research, Rosemary Lane (SECAR)
Oranjestad, St. Eustatius EUX
St. Eustatius, Netherlands Antilles, Dutch West Indies
info@secar.org
Phone: (++599) 524 6770

Recommended Bibliography

Dethlefsen, Edwin, Stephen J. Gluckman, R. Duncan Mathewson and Norman F. Barka, Archaeology on St. Eustatius: The Pompeii of the New World, Archaeology, 35:28-15, 1982
Attema, Y., St. Eustatius: A Short History of the Island and Its Monuments, 1976, Zutphen
Hartog, J., History of St. Eustatius, 1976,
Jameson, J. Franklin, St. Eustatius in the American Revolution, American Historical Review VIII, 683-708, 1903,
Versteeg, A.H. & C. Schinkel, eds., The Archaeology of St. Eustatius: the Golden Rock Site, Publication of the St. Eustatius Historical Foundation 2, Publication of the Foundation for Scientific Research in the Caribbean Region 131, , 1992,