Description
Book SynopsisBuried Beneath the City uses urban archaeology to retell the history of New York, from the deeper layers of the past to the topsoil of recent history. The book explores the ever-evolving city and the day-to-day world of its residents through artifacts.
Trade ReviewWhat a fascinating and inspiring book! Exploring thousands of years of New York City’s ecological, material, and social history,
Buried Beneath the City shows us not only what we can learn from the material leavings of the past but also how archaeologists work to make sense of this evidence. -- Elizabeth Blackmar, coauthor of
The Park and the People: A History of Central ParkThis beautiful book demonstrates how much is available to recover from beneath our feet in New York City. The authors guide us sure-handedly through the pre-twentieth century collision of cultures that still affects our world today. -- Leslie M. Harris, author of
In the Shadow of Slavery: African Americans in New York City, 1626-1863Buried Beneath the City unearths a new vista, the remains of the days before Europeans arrived and of lost quotidian life since. Take a revealing self-guided underground expedition through material evidence that sheds light on the periods and people neglected by the documentary record. -- Sam Roberts, author of
A History of New York in 101 ObjectsThis is a terrific book, one well worthy of reading. Writing a book accessible to all readers, the authors present the complexities and the unique contributions of archaeological excavation and thorough research on the recovered artifacts to our understanding of the panorama of human occupation of a living city. I applaud the authors for their success. -- Martha Zierden, coauthor of
Charleston: An Archeology of Life in a Coastal CommunityTable of ContentsPreface
Introduction
1. Indigenous Peoples Before the City
2. Dutch Beginnings, 1624–1664
3. The British Colonial City and the Nascent Republic, 1664–1800
4. Growing Pains, 1800–1840
5. Development of the Modern City, 1840–1898
Conclusion
Appendix A: The New York City Landmarks and Historic Districts Discussed in the Book
Appendix B: Archaeological Sites Within New York City Discussed in the Book
Acknowledgments
Notes
Works Cited
Index
