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Presidential Cuisine a Focus of Archaeology at Montpelier

Arizona State Museum zooarchaeologist Barnet Pavao-Zuckerman and her students are analyzing the remains of an early American president’s dining table.

Arizona State Museum archaeologists are looking through historic table scraps in an effort to find out more about the kitchen of America’s fourth president and author of the U.S. Constitution.

For about a decade, Barnet Pavao-Zuckerman and her students from the University of Arizona have been part of ongoing excavations at Montpelier, the home of James and Dolley Madison. The archaeology of Montpelier’s grounds offer some light on what day-to-day life was like from the pre-Revolutionary War era to well into the 18th century. (more…)

Archaeologists Find New Evidence of Animals Being Introduced to Prehistoric Caribbean

By Guest PostDecember 13, 2011Scienceagoutis, animal remains, armadillos, arrival of columbus, caribbean, caribbean islands, carriacou, charcoal, daily consumption, guinea pigs, michelle lefebvre, north carolina state university, opossum, pig like peccaries, pre columbian caribbean, prehistoric non native animal, prehistoric villages, rodents, scott fitzpatrick, south america, tiny island, university of florida, university of washington

An archaeological research team from North Carolina State University, the University of Washington and University of Florida has found one of the most diverse collections of prehistoric non-native animal remains in the Caribbean, on the tiny island of Carriacou. The find contributes to our understanding of culture in the region before the arrival of Columbus, and suggests Carriacou may have been more important than previously thought.

The researchers found evidence of five species that were introduced to Carriacou from South America between 1,000 and 1,400 years ago. Only one of these species, the opossum, can still be found on the island. The other species were pig-like peccaries, armadillos, guinea pigs and small rodents called agoutis. (more…)

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Presidential Cuisine a Focus of Archaeology at Montpelier

Archaeologists Find New Evidence of Animals Being Introduced to Prehistoric Caribbean