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ABOUT THIS PROJECT
This website was created to look at the ways in which the disciplines of history and archeaology can work together when looking at events in the historical period. To do this, one topic was chosen to build the site on - the liquor trade in early colonial Sydney, up until the end of Governor Bligh's time as Governor (early 1808). This is an example of an issue that archaeologists might not touch as it appears to be an issue for the historians, not archaeologists, as suggested by Mackay and Karskens (1999). They go on to say that what makes these issues archaeological includes the focus. Historians tend to look at the liqour trade in terms of immediate effects and the impact it had on a handful of named people (such as Bligh, Macarthur, King and so on). On the other hand, archaeologists could look at the issue in terms of the 'bigger picture', for instance looking at how the trade affected the overall growth of the colony. This would not make archaeology the 'handmaiden to history', which some archaeologists are worried about.
| I began this project with the idea that there is little to no archaeological information specifically about the rum trade, and after finishing the project I found this to be true. Therefore, most of the information on this site is from historical sources. Archaeological work has and is taking place in Sydney and Norfolk Island. The results of this work would have to be looked at and inferences made as to the relevance of what was found to the topic of the spirit trade. |
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Related Links
 Archaeology of British Colonial Australia
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