Description
Investigating homestead sites dating from 1620 to 1725 in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Maine, Auge explains how to recognize objects and architectural details that colonists intended as defenses and boundaries against evil supernatural forces. She supports this archaeological work by examining references to magic in letters, diaries, sermons, medical texts, and documentation of court proceedings including the Salem witch trials. She also draws on folklore from the era to reveal that colonists simultaneously practiced magic and maintained their Puritan convictions. Auge exposes the fears and anxieties that motivated individuals to try to manipulate the supernatural realm, and she identifies gendered patterns in the ways they employed magic. She argues that it is essential for archaeologists to incorporate historical records and oral traditions in order to accurately interpret the worldviews and material culture of people who lived in the past.
Published in cooperation with the Society for Historical Archaeology
About the Author
C. Riley Auge is curator of the University of Montana Anthropological Collection Facility.
Book Information
ISBN 9780813066110
Author C. Riley Auge
Format Hardback
Page Count 304
Imprint University Press of Florida
Publisher University Press of Florida
Weight(grams) 509g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 151mm * 16mm