Time Sifters Archaeology Society Newsletter October 2016

OCTOBER-2016 October Program October 19 - at 6:00 PM - Selby Library, 1331 First St., Sarasota 34236Slavery & Health Practices in the 19th Century Virginia Lori Lee Assistant Professor of Anthropology Dept. of Social Sciences, Flagler CollegeDear Member:Have you seen our newly redesigned website? Laura Dean (former Time Sifters president) of Runjik Productions has done abeautiful job with it. The video of our September speaker is up there on our home page in case you missedthe meeting. There is also a full archive of our Notes from a Time Sifter, newsletters, and such, and a link toour Facebook page.I am excited to hear Lori Lee speak at our October meeting as she is doing some groundbreaking analysis ofthe health of enslaved African Americans in the antebellum South. I hope to see you there.Thanks for being a Time Sifters member! [email protected] Svekis, PresidentOctober 19, Selby LibraryLori LeeSlavery & Health Practices in the 19th Century Virginia.Health consumerism in the modern Lori Lee’s study of enslaved one’s reproduction and sexuality, African Americans in work and leisure, and sickness.sense speaks to patients’ involve- central Virginia looks at Lee’s presentation uses this multi- the degree of access layered approach to explorement in their own health care they had to resources practices of health and healthcaredecisions. How does this concept that shaped their among the enslaved laborers in health and well-being the antebellum South. Lori Lee isapply to enslaved laborers in the experiences. The nature Assistant Professor of Anthropology at of health and illness is Flagler College. Her researchantebellum South? Anthropologist multilayered. It is influ- focuses on the archaeology of the enced by an individual’s African diaspora, gender, memory, personal experience with and material culture their physical body, including their mind; by how the body is socially represented in various symbolic and metaphorical forms; and by regulation, surveillance, and control of

Notes from a Time SifterThe Ancient Roots and Practices of SlaveryBeing a slave means that you are The most outstanding example of be bought and sold in slave marketsthe property of someone else and Greek enslavement comes from (Sahagún, Historia general de lasthat you cannot make decisions the Spartans who enslaved an cosas de nueva España). Northabout your own life. The institution entire local population. They American Indians often raidedwas recognized by most societies were called “helots” and were other tribes to steal women.probably since the advent of towns owned by the Spartan state but Sacajawea was a Shoshone Indianand cities where cheap labor was were to serve all Spartans. Records captured by a Hidatsa war partyeasily attained through war captives. (written by Athenians who disap- who sold her to a French-CanadianArchaeologists have not found proved or were perhaps jealous) fur trader. He called her a “wife”much artefactual evidence for say that the Spartans whipped but she was clearly still a slaveslaves but there is a lot of written the helots annually to remind (pbs.org).evidence for what has been called them of their status. Athenians Our word “slave” comes from thethe “evil of civilization”. kept slaves also but most were European Middle Ages Latin wordThe earliest evidence comes from domestic servants because no free “sclavus” meaning “personal servant”.an ancient Mesopotamian 25th Athenian would do household In the Middle Ages, German raiderscentury B.C.E. king who claimed chores. The Romans accepted captured many eastern Europeanto have “cancelled obligations for slavery as a necessity because people and sold them in the marketsthose indentured families, citizens they believed that freedom was of Venice. Merchants recordedof Lagash living as debtors…” (Code only possible if others were slaves. them as “sclavus” and there wereof Urukagina, 2350 B.C.E., Public Slaves performed all kinds of so many that eventually all easternDomain) Laws concerning slaves work from accompanying their European people were referred totake up a full 30% of Babylonian master (a wealthy man might as sclavs leading to their presentKing Hammurabi’s Code (ca. 1750 walk about town with as many as name, Slavs (A History of Slavery).B.C.E.) and the ancient Greek 15 slaves attending him), teaching But generally, there were no racial orphilosophers wrote lots about slaves for the master’s children, fighting as religious distinctions associated400 years (Hesiod ca. 750 B.C.E. to a gladiator or working in the with slavery and many local peopleAristotle, ca. 330 B.C.E.). This mines. During the Roman Empire were enslaved such as the serfsevidence leads to the conclusion period, one in three in the Italian on feudal estates during the Medievalthat slavery has been a vital part peninsula were enslaved (M. Cart- period in Europe, and the eunuchsof most societies for a very long wright, 2013). of China. In Africa, Ghana andtime. Zawila were centers that developedSome societies had different levels American Indians enslaved war specifically as trading centersof servitude calling them serfs, captives long before the Spanish where captured Africans wereslaves, servants, house boys, brought Africans to the Western sold to Arabs as early as the 4thmaids, indentured servants, bonded Hemisphere. Aztecs enslaved century C.E. Muhammad did notslaves, etc. Some were criminals and debtors who couldreleased after a certain disapprove of the prac-amount of time and some tice except that enslav-could purchase their free- ing other Muslims wasdom; others remained unacceptable so manyenslaved forever and, in European Christiansthe worst cases, the chil- from the Balkans weredren of slaves were auto- enslaved by Muslims. Inmatically enslaved. Few fact, there were more Eu-societies showed guilt for ropean slaves held inenslaving others alt- Islamic regions thanhough there is some in- there were Africans tak-dication that they need- en to the Americas (USI,ed to justify it. For ex- Europe Before Transat-ample, in an attempt to lantic Slavery). Thedefend the practice, Aristo- Transatlantic slavery, oftle wrote “some men are course, was different inby nature free, and oth- that in concentrated oners, slaves, and that for one group.these latter, slavery isboth expedient and Notes continued nextright” (Politics). page ... Code of Urukagina, 2350 B.C.E., Public Domain

Notes continued ... Mauritania in 1981).In spite of their unhappy Slavery is now illegalcondition, there were few everywhere in the worldslave rebellions, and only but it is still practicedthe Haitian rebellion was illegally as humanreally successful. In 1804, trafficking, child soldiers500,000 slaves and and forced marriages.former slaves organized to There are still probablydefeat their European more than 2.5 millionowners and established people living as slavesthe Independent Republic (antislavery.org).of Haiti. In 1806, theBritish Parliament ImageofAztecSlaveMarket Sahagún,abolished slave trade in Historia general de las cosasthe empire and other de nueva Españawestern governments slowlyfollowed (the U.S. in 1865, 2016/2017 Calendar of PresentationsTime Sifters is excited about our slate of outstanding speakers this season. We have a wide selection of topics from recent toancient; from local to the middle east. We hope you enjoy it. If you miss one, you will be able to see a recorded version on ourNEW YouTube Channel. As always we hope to see you at the Selby Library.October 19 Slavery and Health Practices in 19th Century Virginia - Lori Lee of Flagler CollegeNovember 16 Herod'sMountaintopMonolith:Masadaandher Palaces-Dr. Derfler, Executive Director, Educational Resources, Inc.December Holiday PartyJanuary 18 Year in Review - Darwin Smith, Vice President, Time SiftersFebruary 15 Excavating the Byzantine Church at Tel Kerioth - Dr. Derfler, Executive Director, Educational Resources, Inc.March 15 TheResurrection ofCamp Lawton:theWorld’sLargestPrison -Dr. John Derden, Professor of Emeritusof History, East GA CollegeApril 19 Student Award WinnersMay 17 Etowah Indian Mounds in Georgia - Dr. Adam King, Research Associate Professor, University of South CarolinaWorld Heritage Sites World Heritage Site #95 Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Copyright © 2016 Adriatic Sea, in the region of Dalmatia. Time SiftersArchaeologySociety,Inc., Its total population is 42,615 (census All rights reserved. 2011). In 1979, the city of Dubrovnik We send newsletters to people joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage who have attended or expressed Sites. (Wikipedia) interestin our lecturesand given us their email address.Officers: Board of DirectorsSherry Svekis, PresidentDarwin \"Smitty\" Smith, Vice Pres. Directors: Evelyn MangieBernice Jones, Secretary Valerie Jackson Bell Sharon McConnellCaroline Reed, Treasurer Robert Bopp Saretta SparerKaren Jensen, Membership Glenn Cooper

Membership Speakers & Events CalendarLifetime: $200 All to be held at 6:00 PMIndividual: $25 Selby Library, 1331 First St., Sarasota 34236Family: $35Sustaining: $50 October 19Student: $10 Slavery & Health Practices in 19th Century Virginia Lori Lee, Asst. Professor of Anthropology, Flagler CollegePay online at:WWW.TimeSifters.org November 16Or mail checks to: King Herod’s Palace at MasadaTime Sifters, Inc. Dr. Steven Derfler, Executive Director, Educational ResourcesPO Box 5283Sarasota, FL. 34277 January 18 Archeology Year in Review Darwin “Smitty” Smith, Vice President, Time Sifters Time Sifters Archaeology Society A Chapter of the Florida Anthropological Society http://timesifters.org/Time Sifters Archaeology SocietyP. O. Box 5283, Sarasota, FL 34277