Sydney Tucker

Having taken just one archaeology class prior to summer 2018, I truly had no idea what to expect for the Exploring Globalization Through Archaeology Project in Sint Eustatius this summer. Not only was I a complete novice in the field of archaeology, but I had never heard of the small island of Sint Eustatius, so I knew this would be an experience like no other. As a premed, rising senior my goal for this trip was to learn more about the human body through the forensic archaeology component, but I knew this would be a unique opportunity for me to conduct my own research and delve deeper into the history and culture that impacted the lives of the people living at the time.

Just as I suspected, from the moment I touched down on Statia I began to soak up tons of information about the island and about archaeological fieldwork. Though I had never heard of Statia before my acceptance into the REU program, bright and early Tuesday morning, June 12^th, we took a group tour of the island including its forts, churches, and cemeteries, and I quickly learned how Statia played a critical role in American and European history, serving as a free port and a site of rapid globalization in the 17^th and 18^th centuries. I finally understood the globalization aspect of the project, and all of the research potential that this little-known island had to offer; I noticed early on during the tour that artifacts littered the ground all over the island, including historic and prehistoric ceramic, pipe stems, and our guide even mentioned that visitors have easily spotted the valuable Statia blue beads during her tours. I imagined that if artifacts could easily be found on the surface, then there must be some incredible finds below the surface.

I also learned an incredible amount about archaeological fieldwork in such a short amount of time from my working together with my peers on the forensic archaeology team and my mentor, Dr. Mckeown. I remember being confused every time Dr. Ahlman mentioned using the total station for mapping, and after a brief tutorial and some practice with my peers I could both plot points from the total station and accurately position the stadia rod for data collection. I had no idea how to properly photo document a cemetery, nor did I understand the purpose, but after practice moving from burial to burial and switching roles ever so often, I learned how to place the meter stick, pull the pin flags at the appropriate time, place the north arrow for reference, and photograph each burial showing the necessary features. I had never

used a trowel before this experience, and towards the end of our trip I had a much better grasp of proper troweling technique and knew when the switch between the metal trowel and a more delicate plastic trowel or wooden carving tool depending on my proximity to artifacts and human remains. Small feats such as these made me excited, like I was entering an exclusive club and I had finally learned the password, and the more I learned, the quicker and more accurate my work became.

Now that I have returned to Texas State to start the analysis portion of the project and start my personal research, I’m excited about the wealth of materials we have to work with, not only human remains but artifacts found on the site. After reading the research reports from the 2012 and 2016 excavations at this site, Dr. McKeown and I agreed that it would be helpful to determine the demographic makeup of the individuals buried in the cemetery and use the artifacts found in each of the burials to determine the beginning and end of use of this cemetery and add it to the existing timeline of this site. Relatively little is known about this cemetery located near Fort Amsterdam, and I am excited to contribute to ongoing research and hopefully shed some light on this dynamic time in history on Sint Eustatius.