Holl/Archaeology of Urban Bondage, 3. The Early Sequence (ca. 1650 – 1740)

Chapter 3 - The Early Sequence (ca. 1640/90 – 1740) discusses the evidence from the earliest phase of the cemetery use. It starts with a brief presentation of New Amsterdam, the city extent and layout and its population. The general demographic profile (Age, Sex, Sex ratio) of the deceased population is work worked. The analysis of the burial furniture – essentially the presence/absence of coffins – is then carried out. Some intriguing burials, generally interpreted as disturbed burials by the initial excavators, are presented in details. In fact, these burials present incontrovertible evidence of the implementation of harsh punishment, death by decapitation and limbs amputations. The focus shifts on the spatial organization of the cemetery, investigating the patterns of burials clustering through the lens of intentionality, agency, or accident. The final section of the chapter deals with health, pathologies, and diseases issues. The morbidity of the buried population is high in general but varies across the age spectrum. Different age-groups were affected by different combinations of diseases. In general, juveniles appear to have been the most affected age groups, with variation from one chronological period to the next.