SEMINAR: ARCHAEOLOGY - SEMINAR SERIES SEMESTER 2, 2011

Sint Eustatius, a tiny Caribbean island comprised of two volcanoes joined by a fertile plain, was mysteriously abandoned by its indigenous inhabitants c.1000 years ago. It was resettled in 1636 by enterprising merchants representing the Dutch West India Company, who were soon outnumbered by slaves from West Africa. What followed was a tumultuous 200 years, with the island changing hands 22 times between the colonial powers of the day, culminating in St Eustatius being an important trading centre in the 1790s, and declining after the cessation of slavery.

The archaeology of this "Golden Rock" is being studied by the St Eustatius Centre for Archaeological Research. This seminar outlines the archaeology of the island, the results of an internship at the Centre, and includes a live demonstration of the SECAR Geographic Information System that was developed as part of the internship. Future possibilities for GIS and public archaeology will be discussed.