In Small Things Forgotten: An Archaeology of Early American Life [Paperback]

James Deetz (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0385483996 | ISBN-13: 978-0385483995 | Publication Date: August 1, 1996 | Edition: Rev Exp Su

History is recorded in many ways. According to  author James Deetz, the past can be seen most fully  by studying the small things so often forgotten.  Objects such as doorways, gravestones, musical  instruments, and even shards of pottery fill in the  cracks between large historical events and depict  the intricacies of daily life. In his completely  revised and expanded edition of In Small  Things Forgotten, Deetz has added new  sections that more fully acknowledge the presence  of women and African Americans in Colonial  America. New interpretations of archaeological finds  detail how minorities influenced and were affected  by the development of the Anglo-American tradition  in the years following the settlers' arrival in  Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. Among Deetz's  observations:
Subtle changes in building long before the  Revolutionary War hinted at the growing independence  of the American colonies and their desire to be  less like the  British.



Records of estate auctions show that many  households in Colonial America contained only one  chair--underscoring the patriarchal nature of the  early American family. All other members of the  household sat on stools or the  floor.



The excavation of a tiny community of  freed slaves in Massachusetts reveals evidence of  the transplantation of African culture to North  America.

Simultaneously  a study of American life and an explanation of  how American life is studied, In Small  Things Forgotten, through the everyday  details of ordinary living, colorfully depicts a  world hundreds of years in the past.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

History is recorded in many ways. According to author James Deetz, the past can be seen most fully by studying the small things so often forgotten. Objects such as doorways, gravestones, musical instruments, and even shards of pottery fill in the cracks between large historical events and depict the intricacies of daily life. In his completely revised and expanded edition of In Small Things Forgotten, Deetz has added new sections that more fully acknowledge the presence of women and African Americans in Colonial America. New interpretations of archaeological finds detail how minorities influenced and were affected by the development of the Anglo-American tradition in the years following the settlers' arrival in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. Among Deetz's observations:

Subtle changes in building long before the Revolutionary War hinted at the growing independence of the American colonies and their desire to be less like the British.

Records of estate auctions show that many households in Colonial America contained only one chair--underscoring the patriarchal nature of the early American family. All other members of the household sat on stools or the floor.

The excavation of a tiny community of freed slaves in Massachusetts reveals evidence of the transplantation of African culture to North America.

Simultaneously a study of American life and an explanation of how American life is studied, In Small Things Forgotten, through the everyday details of ordinary living, colorfully depicts a world hundreds of years in the past.

From the Inside Flap

History is recorded in many ways. According to  author James Deetz, the past can be seen most fully  by studying the small things so often forgotten.  Objects such as doorways, gravestones, musical  instruments, and even shards of pottery fill in the  cracks between large historical events and depict  the intricacies of daily life. In his completely  revised and expanded edition of In Small  Things Forgotten, Deetz has added new  sections that more fully acknowledge the presence  of women and African Americans in Colonial  America. New interpretations of archaeological finds  detail how minorities influenced and were affected  by the development of the Anglo-American tradition  in the years following the settlers' arrival in  Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. Among Deetz's  observations:
Subtle changes in building long before the  Revolutionary War hinted at the growing independence  of the American colonies and their desire to be  less like the  British.



Records of estate auctions show that many  households in Colonial America contained only one  chair--underscoring the patriarchal nature of the  early American family. All other members of the  household sat on stools or the  floor.



The excavation of a tiny community of  freed slaves in Massachusetts reveals evidence of  the transplantation of African culture to North  America.

Simultaneously  a study of American life and an explanation of  how American life is studied, In Small  Things Forgotten, through the everyday  details of ordinary living, colorfully depicts a  world hundreds of years in the past.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Anchor; Rev Exp Su edition (August 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385483996
• ISBN-13: 978-0385483995
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 7.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,545 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > History > Americas > United States > Colonial Period

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remember Small Things, April 1, 2002

By 

"gus_mccrae69" (Charleston, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Small Things Forgotten: An Archaeology of Early American Life (Paperback)

The main thrust of Deetz's argument in this book points to the incomplete nature of the traditional historian's approach to understanding past societies. By focusing only on written documentation, traditional historians necessarily confine the groups they can examine to literate societies, thereby excluding most people in the history of human existence. Furthermore, written documents contain the bias of the author, and so cannot always be trusted.

Deetz argues that historical archaeology and the study of material culture opens the door to understanding a far wider band of human societies, and can further help us relate to the literate cultures we study, by providing corroborating evidence, in some cases, and filling in the gaps overlooked in traditional written documents in other cases.

This work focuses mainly on early New England societies, but the research methods Deetz puts forth readily adapt to studies in other areas. The fact that this book still stands as required reading on university course lists 25 years after its first publication testifies to its usefulness...

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Little things mean a lot, October 9, 2007

By 

G. Joy Robins "Joy Robins" (Staten Island,, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: In Small Things Forgotten: An Archaeology of Early American Life (Paperback)

I enjoyed Deetz' newly updated introduction to Historical Archaeology in America. He makes clear that much can be gleaned from the seemingly insignificant material things that are left behind in the process of living. I greatly enjoyed his putting the pieces of the puzzles together. Sometimes the result was an interesting surprise. For instance, I didn't know that porches, which became so popular in America, were not a feature of European houses and were introduced by Africans. "Shotgun houses" also have African roots. Another surprising story is told by the changing styles of Colonial gravestones. They change subtly as the religious climate changes. The oldest being very stiff and stern and later ones becoming more decorative, replacing deaths heads with angels.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An essential book for archaeologists and historians, December 14, 2010

By 

Baltimore - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Small Things Forgotten: An Archaeology of Early American Life (Paperback)

"In Small Things Forgotten" is a must-read for archaeologists, historians, or anyone interested in America's past. It is well-written, engaging, and short, and still manages to be one of the defining works of American historical archaeology. It provides fascinating insight into how early American culture developed, but moreover shows how we can piece together this past based on the material clues that our forbears left behind. It shows how the historical record only tells a part of the story, and powerfully demonstrates the stories that can be told be artifacts. For non-archaeologists, the book makes clear how we know what we know about the past. It is accessible, free of too much technical jargon, and will draw you in as new understandings of the past weave together into an overall story.

Deetz ranges from ceramics to graveyard headstones to houses, weaving his examples together to show a fundamental shift in American culture: from an organic communal lifestyle to a formalized and individualized one. This analysis shows that from tiny archaeological remains we can understand large-scale social movements. For students of archaeology, Deetz' book is an important milestone that is directly relevant to work being done today. It illustrates a structural-fuctionalist approach to the past, and succinctly sums up some of the basic techniques of archaeology, including pattern recognition, spatial analysis, and seriation. The type of analysis Deetz describes applies not only to American history, but to archaeology of any place and time.

Anyone involved in archaeology or history must read "In Small Things Forgotten," without exception. And for anyone at all interested in the study of the past, this book is highly recommended.