An analysis of archaeobotanical evidence from the House for Families slave quarter, Mount Vernon plantation, Virginia

The analysis of macrobotanical remains from the cellar of the House for Families reveals information on the foodways of enslaved African Americans on the Mount Vernon plantation. A variety of social and economic relationships and activities are revealed through the archaeological investigation of plant food remains, thus demonstrating that foodways research encompasses much more than simply identifying the kinds of food slaves ate. This thesis demonstrates the value of middle-range theory in historical archaeology. Historical documents have been a main source for researching past lifeways, but the archaeological record provides a more accurate view of the foods slaves consumed, and the methods of procurement and processing they employed. The conditions of preservation were exceptional in the cellar, and archaeologists used sophisticated methods to excavate the site. Consequently, a variety of wild and domesticated plant foods were retrieved, indicating that the residents of the House for Families supplemented their rations.