So I stumbled across this article the other day on the excavation of a slave burial ground in St. Helena. Now first of all, I had no idea where St. Helena was. And it's no surprise really...that purple maker on the map marks the tiny island, so small it doesn't even show up (only 122 square kms)! But despite its size during the mid-1800s St. Helena was the landing place for over 26,000 freed slaves. However even these freed slaves became victims of the horrendous conditions aboard the ships and many succumbed to various illnesses before landfall. Because of this, a huge cemetery developed on the island and the article's authors were able to excavate 325 of the estimated 5000 bodies that were buried there.
View St. Helena in a larger map
The main reason I found this article fascinating, and an idea that the authors themselves touch on, is that this is truly archaeology of the individual. This excavation is looking at these bodies as people with faces, names, and stories. The article even touches on a few possible kin groups that may be present! This archaeological dig is helping to highlight that each of this victims has a history that unfortunately was robbed from them in more ways than one. The complete report is published in book format and looks like it could be an interesting read. Unfortunately with an Amazon price of $50.00 I think I'll have to wait until it's available through the library!
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