Not Much Ado about Mollusks

Abstract

This chapter discusses the ways mollusks were differentially integrated into plantation foodways practices at Betty’s Hope. The focus on mollusk data is significant because it is frequently overlooked in historical zooarchaeology and was the animal taxon that demonstrated the most dramatic difference in use along the race- and class-based divisions of those who lived and worked at Betty’s Hope. In this case, mollusks were least abundant in the Great House, while the faunal assemblage associated with enslaved African contexts were almost entirely comprised of mollusk material.