Collaborative Research: Emergence and Evolution of a Colonial Economy

Drs. Carla Hadden, (University of Georgia) Barnet Pavao-Zuckerman (University of Maryland), Laurie Reitsema (University of Georgia), and Elizabeth J. Reitz (University of Georgia) will study the role of animals in the development of early colonial American cities. Early urban centers were often established as trans-oceanic trading ports, but their connections to local and regional economies is often overlooked. To what extent were urban colonial centers dependent upon distant rural agrarian communities? This project will use zooarchaeological, microbotanical, and stable isotope evidence coupled with historical documents to test the hypothesis that specialized animal economies were fundamental to the development of new colonies and urban centers in early America. This study will contribute to interpretation and outreach efforts of The Charleston Museum, under the supervision of Curator Martha Zierden, particularly the development of Bragg Boxes for rural and underserved schools. The boxes will include an activity book designed for a K-12 audience prepared by the University of Georgia's Center for Applied Isotope Studies.

The team will examine how animals contributed to the emergence of colonial economies in British North America during in the 16th-18th centuries using colonial Charleston, South Carolina, as the test case, where the production of animals and animal products ranked fourth among Charleston's agricultural enterprises in the 1700s. This team will focus specifically on the origins and distribution of cattle in the southeastern U.S. and Charleston's role as a node in large-scale regional, interregional, and global provisioning systems. The team will examine whether cattle were from distant rural locations, suburban pastures, or urban backlots; whether and how these sources changed over time; and the extent to which the city's participation in global markets reflects the region's rural-urban animal economy. Bone chemistry data derived from stable isotope analysis will be essential to understanding local, regional, and international aspects of the animal economy. This combination will enable them to determine whether provisioning shifts occurred between the colony's foundation in 1670 and its role as a major trans-Atlantic port by 1780. The interdisciplinary, multi-proxy research design allows them to distinguish between local and distant sources of animals and animal products within a colonial distribution system. It is rare to find this combination of approaches used to examine how short- and long-distance trade networks and provisioning strategies connected and organized people and landscapes. Professional contributions will link the Charleston trade with studies of global trade in animal products.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.