Port Royal Archaeological Project

Port Royal Archaeological Project
Name	Port Royal Archaeological Project
Location	Port Royal, Jamaica
Period	17th–18th centuries
Excavations	1951–present
Directors	Perry L. C.,

Port Royal Archaeological Project The Port Royal Archaeological Project investigates the submerged and terrestrial remains of Port Royal in Jamaica, focusing on the 17th-century nexus of Atlantic World, transatlantic slave trade, Caribbean piracy, English colonization of the Americas, and maritime archaeology. The project unites scholars from University of the West Indies, Smithsonian Institution, Institute of Nautical Archaeology, Getty Conservation Institute, and independent researchers to document artifacts, structures, and environmental data that illuminate interactions among English colonists, African captives, Spanish Empire, and Dutch Republic merchants.

History of Port Royal and Project Origins

Port Royal rose after English seizure from the Spanish Empire during the Anglo-Spanish War (1654–1660) and became a hub for privateering, transatlantic trade, and the Triangle trade. The city’s devastation by the 1692 Jamaica earthquake and subsequent fires transformed the urban fabric, leading to rapid subsidence and coastal inundation documented in colonial records held at National Archives (UK), British Library, Spanish Archivo General de Indias, and local Jamaica Archives. Archaeological interest began with 20th-century surveys by naval officers and scholars associated with Royal Ontario Museum, Institute of Nautical Archaeology, and University of Pennsylvania Museum; systematic excavations started later with teams from University of California, Berkeley, Brown University, University of Leicester, and University of the West Indies. Funding and collaboration involved agencies such as National Endowment for the Humanities, National Science Foundation, UNESCO, and private foundations including the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Archaeological Methods and Fieldwork

Fieldwork combines terrestrial stratigraphic excavation, underwater archaeology, and paleoenvironmental analysis using methods promoted by Jacques-Yves Cousteau’s legacy, George Bass’s nautical techniques, and protocols from ICOMOS and UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. Teams employ remote sensing tools like side-scan sonar, sub-bottom profiler, and magnetometer surveys alongside conventional hand excavation, trowel work, and flotation sampling inspired by practices in historical archaeology at institutions such as British Museum and Smithsonian Institution. Finds are recorded with photogrammetry, GIS platforms like ArcGIS, and 3D modeling protocols used by Getty Conservation Institute and CyArk. Collaboration with neotectonics and paleoclimatology specialists integrates seismic data from regional studies and coral-core analysis performed by researchers associated with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Key Discoveries and Artifacts

Excavations revealed wooden structural remains, docks, brick foundations, and street layouts comparable to port towns documented in Colonial America and Caribbean archives. Artifact assemblages include imported ceramics such as Chinese porcelain, Staffordshire ware, and Delftware; weaponry like flintlock muskets and naval cannon; personal items including silver coins from Spain and Netherlands mints, jewelry linked to African craft traditions, and tools associated with shipwrights and gunfounders. Underwater contexts yielded ship timbers, ballast stones, and cargo remains resembling manifests in Admiralty records and merchant account books held by British Library and Public Record Office. Bioarchaeological finds — faunal remains, charred botanical samples, and human burials — inform comparisons with assemblages from Barbados, Hispaniola, and Montserrat.

Conservation, Reconstruction, and Interpretation

Conservation strategies follow standards from the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property and practices at Conservation Research Laboratory (Smithsonian), employing desalination, polyethylene glycol treatment, and controlled drying for waterlogged timbers and textiles. Reconstruction of selected structures used archival maps from John Morphew-era plans, archaeological stratigraphy, and comparative urban morphology from Charleston, South Carolina and Bridgetown, Barbados. Interpretive efforts include museum exhibits developed with National Gallery of Jamaica, digital reconstructions distributed via partners such as Google Arts & Culture, and site signage coordinated with Jamaica National Heritage Trust and Port Authority of Jamaica.

Research Findings and Contributions to Caribbean History

The project advanced understanding of post-contact urbanism, showing how mercantile networks connected London, Amsterdam, Seville, and Lisbon through commodities, labor, and capital. Material culture analysis illuminated consumption patterns among planter elite, mariners, and enslaved populations, refining models from scholars tied to Cambridge University Press and Berghahn Books. Paleoenvironmental data corroborated seismic models of the 1692 Jamaica earthquake and subsequent sea-level changes discussed in journals like Quaternary Research and Journal of Archaeological Science. Multidisciplinary publications in outlets associated with Society for Historical Archaeology and Caribbean Quarterly influenced debates about piracy, colonial governance, and diasporic populations across the Atlantic World.

Public Outreach, Education, and Tourism

Public programs include guided tours coordinated with Port Royal Marine Laboratory, school curricula developed with Ministry of Education (Jamaica), and traveling exhibits hosted by National Museum of Jamaica and international venues such as Royal Ontario Museum. Volunteer field schools affiliated with Archaeological Institute of America and credit courses through University of the West Indies engage students and citizens, while documentary collaborations with broadcasters like BBC and PBS brought findings to global audiences. Heritage tourism strategies balance site preservation with local economic benefits via partnerships with Jamaica Tourist Board and community groups in Kingston Parish.

Ongoing Research and Future Directions

Current research priorities include high-resolution mapping of submerged urban areas, isotope studies of human and faunal remains in collaboration with Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and University College London, and expanded archival projects linking records in Spanish Archivo General de Indias, Dutch National Archives, and British Library. Future work envisions integration with climate resilience programs funded by World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank, digital open-access repositories modeled on Open Context, and strengthened community-based stewardship with Jamaica National Heritage Trust and local stakeholders.

Category:Archaeological projects