Testing the New World: early modern chemistry and mineral prospection at colonial Jamestown, 1607–1610

Abstract: The paper presents new research on an assemblage of metallurgical crucibles used in the assay of minerals at colonial Jamestown. The aim of the study is to explore the range of chemical operations carried out at the site of the first permanent British settlement in America, for which little is known in the documents. The results show that the colonists used high-quality Hessian crucibles to perform tests on different types of complex polymetallic sulphides. This was done to (1) prospect for potential silver and copper ores and (2) to find suitable sources of zinc and tin to be alloyed into brass and bronze through cementation with imported copper offcuts. This study makes a relevant contribution to the growing field of the archaeology of early chemistry and mineral prospection as well as the archaeology of early European colonies in the New World. In particular, material culture can shed fresh light on how European settlers reacted to the many challenges of a new and unfamiliar natural environment and how they tried to make sense and exploit it for financial profit

‘And he that in Virginia shall copper coin receive’ : Explicating an undocumented fiscal scheme in the early English settlement at Jamestown through the archaeological evidence

Traditionally, coins and exonumia found in archaeological contexts have been examined in a way that fails to utilize their full potential for making substantive contributions to historical questions. Often bearing dates and/or dateable iconography, these numismatic objects are used primarily to provide temporal data for archaeological contexts or sites; and, as material culture related to the economic sphere, the function of these objects is assumed. When archaeological excavations in England’s North American colonies uncover European coins and exonumia that are obsolete in their original countries of origin, they are often interpreted as items imported for the Indian trade without consideration of their full social and cultural contexts. Since 1994, archaeological excavations on the c. 1607-24 site of James Fort, the initial English settlement at Jamestown, have uncovered over two hundred Dutch and English tokens and Irish coins that are both unusual for the Virginia context and are no longer current in their original settings. This thesis examines this unusual group of base metal coins and exonumia found in the fort’s tightly dated discrete contexts as evidence of an undocumented scheme of token currency in the early English colony. The research incorporates a biographical approach to the data, weaving together numismatic scholarship, evidence from archaeological contexts, and contemporary historical accounts. The use of token currency in Bermuda and Newfoundland, two early English colonies established subsequent to Jamestown, provides evidence of parallel adaptive measures required to fulfil local needs in New World settlements. In conclusion, familial and commercial links connecting the leaders of the Virginia enterprise, English governmental officials, and the Royal Mint are suggested as agencies for the obsolete coins and tokens at Jamestown. Using numismatic objects as portals to Jamestown’s past, this study demonstrates new understandings may be gained from beginning an historical inquiry with contextually relevant material culture

Glassmaking Tests at Early Jamestown? Some New Thoughts and Data

Early prospection efforts in North America relied heavily on the use of crucibles to test suspected valuable minerals ahead of their potential exploitation. This is well-known for metal ores, and has also been proposed for glassmaking at colonial Jamestown. Here, we revisit a recent publication proposing that certain Hessian crucibles from the site bore evidence for these glassmaking tests, and present new data on crucible operations at the site. We argue that the evidence is more consistent with testing ores for their precious metal content than with glass making. Despite this, the historical evidence for glassmaking tests in this early period remains strong, and further research may well identify its material remains.This work is part of U. Veronesi’s PhD project, generously funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (Award ref. 1738300