Masters Theses

Date of Award

12-2023

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Major

Anthropology

Major Professor

Barbara J. Heath

Committee Members

Kandace D. Hollenbach, Timothy E. Baumann

Abstract

This thesis research evaluates the macrobotanical assemblage identified in soil samples from contexts collected throughout the South Pavilion kitchen space (44AB089) at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello plantation in Charlottesville, Virginia. My primary research objectives strive to establish what types of plant remains are represented in soil samples recovered from three stratigraphically assigned temporal periods in this late eighteenth-century kitchen space. As the first kitchen at Monticello, where enslaved cooks prepared meals influenced by African American and French dishes for the Jefferson family until 1809, this site can help better establish an understanding of the cultural foodways and dishes within this time period. In addition, my research contributes to understanding an under-studied area of foodways research; specifically, early plantation kitchens of the Mid-Atlantic region of the eastern United States. Research topics include the differences and similarities in the activities performed in these food preparation areas across the plantation landscape, the roles and privileges associated with the cook’s position, and the variety of plants used in cooking by enslaved individuals for consumption by both white and enslaved groups.

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