But other bones suggest that slaves varied their staple diet with fish, turtle, raccoon, possum, turkey, chicken, goose and deer caught in the wilds around the plantation. Artifacts found around the slave buildings include a rich array of pottery, ranging from the most utilitarian stoneware storage vessels to expensive porcelains. It's not what you find, it's what you find out. This archaeological maxim holds especially true when trying to make sense of these items. It is not surprising that the first impression most people get from this list of artifacts is that slave life was not as bad as they previously thought.
Some artifacts produce more questions than answers.
We have unearthed parts of several guns, along with related artifacts like gun flints, lead shot, and percussion caps. A similarly tangled web of meaning surrounds practically every fragment recovered from the ground at The Hermitage. Drawing too many conclusions, or over-interpreting the evidence, is a danger as well. I often imagine the slaves themselves watching me at work, listening to the tales I spin based on their garbage and ruins. Currently, visitors can get quite a bit of information about the slaves who once lived here.