SA Historical Archaeology Database 

Project Information

The Historical Archaeology of Adelaide Project consists of four relational databases: one for collating recorded cemetery data; one for recorded architectural data; one for recorded monument/memorial data; and one which contains summaries of the students’ major projects. For the students these databases are used as part of their in-class assignment work; for the wider and research community, these databases provide a unique source of primary information about a wide variety of archaeological sites in and around Adelaide, which often exists nowhere else. Wherever possible, the data has been cross-checked in the field or immediately after; perfection is not guaranteed.

The cemetery database

Archaeologists often use data from cemeteries to reconstruct past demographics (population statistics, such as standards of health or changing life spans), but cemeteries can also provide information about intangible aspects of human behaviour, such as social status and past belief systems. Data recorded from the headstones in historic cemeteries is an invaluable source of information about memorialisation practices, religious beliefs, gender roles and changing forms of social identity.

The architecture database

Archaeologists study more than simply what lies below the ground. Analysing standing structures is a good example of a non-intrusive and non-destructive method for gathering historical archaeological data that can reveal many aspects of past human behaviour. Architecture is an enduring expression of social identity and is linked to the larger processes of negotiating social relations in the past and the present. This database concentrates on the Adelaide CBD, and will eventually record all extant nineteenth and early twentieth century buildings in Adelaide and North Adelaide.

The monuments/memorials database

Historical archaeology is closely linked to public versions of history. Many historical archaeological sites are places for people to actively remember the past of their families and their local communities. As with any presentation of public history, we need to look critically at the history that is being offered and how the past is being interpreted through these artefacts. Whose history is being presented? Whose history is not? The monuments recorded in this database can be used to explore ideas about ownership and the politics of history, as well as the role that memory and objects play in providing contemporary understandings of the past.

The major project database

This contains summaries of students’ original primary documentary research into one aspect of the historical archaeology of South Australia. Students have four choices for this assignment. They can choose to research:

1. The history of a piece of land in South Australia. This can include tracing the ownership from initial European settlement in the area until today, and what structures were built on the land, by whom and when.
2. The history of a person who once lived in South Australia. This may include tracing the various details of their lives, such as where they lived, when and whom they married, what house they built or what jobs they may have done.
3. An interpretive project for an historical archaeological site or place. This requires a preliminary design for some form of public interpretation for a site that could be used to tell a story about that place.
4. The life history of an artefact. This assignment focuses in detail on an historical archaeological artefact, its background history and social context.

The results of this research can vary widely, as no matter how thorough the research process is, there is little information available for some sites and artefacts. Students have the option to upload their completed assignments to this database to complement their on-line summary.