Carolina's Historical Landscapes

Sythesizing a wealth of research in archaeology, geography, and history, the essays in this volume focus on the rich and varied landscapes of South Carolina and parts of North Carolina. Their interdisciplinary approach will deepen the reader's understanding of how Carolinians- and, by implication, other Americans- have changed the land and how they, in turn, have been changed by their interaction with it.

Featuring contributions by leading scholars, this book goes beyond conventional archaeological studies by placing the description and interpretation of specific sites in the wider context of the landscape that connects them to one another. As the authors show, one farmstead, house site, brick kiln, Civil War fortification, or iron production site might have marginal significance when considered in isolation, but when linked with other sites of the same type or with places historically related to them, larger patterns and meanings emerge.

Among the unique features of Carolina's Historical Landscapes are essays that explain how private, state, and federal agencies can use landscape as a holistic, interpretive concept to better understand, preserve, and manage historical sites. Also included are articles by underwater archaeologists that point out how much of Carolina's heritage has been influenced by the changing use of waterways; these essays challenge the false dichotomies that place archaeology into terrestrial and underwater divisions.

By combining multidisciplinary approaches with attention to the concrete details of archaeological site studies, these essays offer provocative new insights into economic activities, ways of life, and sets of beliefs.