Billions of Moneta and Annulus cowries from the Indian Ocean were traded for enslaved people along the west coast of Africa from the 15th through 19th centuries. Much larger reticulated cowrie helmets, native to the warm waters of the Caribbean, were not traded for enslaved...
Historical Archaeology
Historical Archaeology is a multidisciplinary field combining written historical records with archaeological data to study the past since the fifteenth century. North American historical archaeology begins with European colonization and aims to understand the development of the modern world within a variety of local contexts. New York contains a wide range of historical sites including Dutch settlements, farmsteads, Erie Canal structures, Industrial sites, ship wrecks, battlefields and fortifications, and many different types of urban sites across the state. The goal of historical archaeology at the New York State Museum is to preserve, study, and disseminate information about New York’s rich heritage through fieldwork and archaeological collections at the museum.