The first archaeological dig of São Tomé and Príncipe’s largest sugar mill sheds light on the birth of plantation agriculture and slavery as a racial system
The former agricultural complex is now the site of the first archaeological excavation to take place in São Tomé and Príncipe, a two-island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, almost five centuries after the island’s “discovery” by Europeans.
“What is not recognized is how fundamental what happened in São Tomé and Príncipe in the 16th and 17th century is in shaping the plantation system in Brazil and the Caribbean,” said Cruz, who specializes in African archaeology at the University of Cologne in Germany.
The Portuguese settled the island with convicts expelled from the Iberian peninsula, an uncertain number of Jewish children taken from their families (legend has it that some were eaten by those huge lizards), and captive Africans, many trafficked to and from the slave castle Elmina in present-day Ghana.
Cruz had wanted to launch a research project in São Tomé and Príncipe for years, but the country proved difficult to access until recently, when flight options expanded.
The Praia Melão estate owners occupied the cooler, more refined upper floor featuring stucco walls, built-in cabinets and more windows, which probably served as overlooks to monitor the work below.
“We have good insight into the big picture of slavery in São Tomé,” said Christopher DeCorse, an anthropology professor at Syracuse University who is leading several archaeological projects on the coast of Ghana.
The original article contains 1,303 words, the summary contains 222 words. Saved 83%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The former agricultural complex is now the site of the first archaeological excavation to take place in São Tomé and Príncipe, a two-island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, almost five centuries after the island’s “discovery” by Europeans.
“What is not recognized is how fundamental what happened in São Tomé and Príncipe in the 16th and 17th century is in shaping the plantation system in Brazil and the Caribbean,” said Cruz, who specializes in African archaeology at the University of Cologne in Germany.
The Portuguese settled the island with convicts expelled from the Iberian peninsula, an uncertain number of Jewish children taken from their families (legend has it that some were eaten by those huge lizards), and captive Africans, many trafficked to and from the slave castle Elmina in present-day Ghana.
Cruz had wanted to launch a research project in São Tomé and Príncipe for years, but the country proved difficult to access until recently, when flight options expanded.
The Praia Melão estate owners occupied the cooler, more refined upper floor featuring stucco walls, built-in cabinets and more windows, which probably served as overlooks to monitor the work below.
“We have good insight into the big picture of slavery in São Tomé,” said Christopher DeCorse, an anthropology professor at Syracuse University who is leading several archaeological projects on the coast of Ghana.
The original article contains 1,303 words, the summary contains 222 words. Saved 83%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!