Abstract
- Eleven pottery samples with matching soil samples from the same archaeological context were submitted for absorbed pottery residue analysis from 38DR83, the Lord Ashley site. The Lord Ashley site is an important early 17th century English plantation, which housed some of the earliest African slaves in the region. All sherds submitted for the study were either Colonoware, Historic Native American pottery, or possibly prehistoric Native American pottery. Eight of the eleven sherds contained viable archaeological residues distinctively different from their matching soil samples. The contents of the pots showed considerable variety, suggesting some specialization in pot use. There were also many more sherds interpreted as ‘primarily meat’ than is common at prehistoric sites. This suggests either feasting behaviors or the Europeans strong preference for traded animal-based foods from their Indian allies.