Osteological and isotopic analysis of skeletal remains at Fort Amsterdam, St. Eustatius, Dutch Caribbean

Abstract

This study presents the results of osteoarchaeological and isotopic analyses conducted on human skeletal remains from the site of Fort Amsterdam, an eighteenth century depot that held enslaved captives on the Dutch Caribbean island of St. Eustatius. Owing to coastal erosion, human burials are frequently exposed, and partial burials have therefore been recovered in the context of rescue excavations over several years by archaeologists from two institutions. Archival evidence indicates that this burial ground was used by the African and Afro-Caribbean population of St. Eustatius, but is unclear about whether its use was restricted to the captives at Fort Amsterdam or whether it also served the wider population of the island. We applied osteological analysis to construct biological profiles for these individuals (n=22) including information about sex, age, and palaeopathology. We also conducted multiple isotope (strontium, oxygen, carbon) analysis on a subset of the individuals (n=6) to determine if they were locally born or first generation forced migrants, assess their childhood diets, and investigate their natal origins. Despite preservation challenges, the osteological analysis showed that this population consisted of 4 non-adults (3 infants and 1 adolescent), 16 adults (including 3 females and 1 male), and 2 unidentifiable individuals. Observed pathologies included dental pathologies and occupational markers. These findings, while limited, provide information about the life experiences of the buried population. Meanwhile, the isotopic analysis indicated that three adult female individuals were born in Africa, while the adult male individual and two of the infants were Creole. Therefore, the burial ground was probably used by both the captives at the depot and by the wider African and Afro-Caribbean population of the island. We show that even complex collections of partial remains are extremely important archives of information about the lives of past peoples for whom historical evidence is often sparse. N.B. A plain language summary is available at the end of the article.