The Native American Artifacts from the Alden First Site: A Reanalysis

Join archaeologist Dan Zoto for a fascinating talk about his recent reanalysis of the nearly 2,000 Native American artifacts excavated in 1960 at John and Priscilla Alden's 17th-century homesite. The talk will be held in person and broadcast online through Zoom.

Dan will discuss how the report demonstrates an Indigenous occupation at the Alden homesite dating back some 8,000 years. He will explain how the artifacts were identified and dated, and what they tell us about Native life in Duxbury before and after European contact. The Native artifacts were uncovered along with thousands of Colonial-era artifacts by archaeologist Roland W. Robbins in 1960 during an archaeological dig to discover the 17th-century homesite of Mayflower passengers John and Priscilla Alden.

Daniel Zoto is a professional archaeologist who has done extensive public outreach with the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History. His research interests include the archaeology of New England, stone tool technology, lithic sourcing, coastal archaeology, and Cultural Resource Management.

This talk is funded by the Duxbury Cultural Council.