In 1901, a broken tombstone from the first permanent English settlement in North America at Jamestown was rediscovered in Virginia’s Memorial Church. Today, nearly a century later, researchers have cracked the mystery of its origin, tracing the stone’s journey across oceans and time.
Through a combination of paleontological sleuthing and historical records, this colonial artifact has revealed fascinating clues about 17th-century trade networks and the far-reaching influence of Europe on early American settlements.
Sourcing the Oldest Colonial Tombstone
The tombstone in question likely belonged to Sir George Yeardley, one of Jamestown’s prominent colonial figures who served as the colony’s governor. He was knighted by King James I and died in 1627 when the tombstone was commissioned. During church renovations in the 1960s they moved the stone to its new location.
Though the stone is made of polished black limestone, 17th-century stone merchants called it “black marble”. Its glossy surface once supported intricate brass inlays that have long since disappeared. Most likely, they were destroyed during Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676. In its heyday, it was a marker of wealth and status in the fledgling colony.
But where did this elegant stone come from?
To uncover its origins, researchers used an unusual technique: they examined the fossils embedded in the stone. The microfossils preserved in limestone can serve as a geologic fingerprint, identifying the age and geographic origin of the rock. In the case of Yeardley’s tombstone, scientists found six distinct species of foraminiferans, single-celled organisms that lived over 300 million years ago. These fossils revealed that the limestone was formed during the Viséan Age of the Middle Mississippian Epoch, roughly 340 to 336 million years ago. So, this rock could only have originated from what is now Belgium or Ireland.
“We found that the oldest tombstone was the knight’s tombstone in Jamestown from 1627. The particular historical archaeological question we were trying to answer was: How extensive was the trade network in the Chesapeake Bay during colonial times?”
“Little did we realize that colonists were ordering black marble tombstones from Belgium like we order items from Amazon, just a lot slower,” lead author Prof. Markus M. Key told Phys.org.
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Global Trade in a New World
The discovery that this stone came from Europe sheds light on the transatlantic trade networks of the time. Despite the colony’s remoteness, it maintained connections with Europe, importing luxury goods that reflected the tastes and ambitions of its settlers. Yeardley’s tombstone is likely the oldest known “black marble” tombstone in the Chesapeake Bay region.
Historical records suggest that the stone was quarried in Belgium, shipped to London for carving and engraving, and then brought to Jamestown as ballast in a cargo ship. This is a stunning example of how the colonists sought to replicate the architectural and cultural fashions of England in a very different, and often hostile, new environment.
Black limestone from Belgium was prized in Europe for its ability to take a high polish. It adorned the tombs of the wealthy across England. Bringing such a prestigious material to Jamestown would have been a very costly but powerful statement.
Why Fossils Matter
The fossils embedded in Yeardley’s tombstone are not just curious remnants of ancient life; they are key to understanding the stone’s history. Limestone is a sedimentary rock, and its fossils provide a unique time stamp. Unlike chemical analyses, which might be difficult to interpret due to the similarities between different stones, the presence of certain fossils can pinpoint the rock’s age and location of origin with much higher accuracy.
Four of the species found in the stone — including Omphalotis minima and Paraarchaediscus angulatus — are known to have existed only in Europe during the Viséan Age. Their presence ruled out any possibility that the stone originated in North America. This fossil-based detective work is a very creative technique in geoarchaeology, helping researchers solve questions about the past that traditional methods might not.
A Window into Colonial Life
The knight’s tombstone may tell us a great deal about life in early Virginia. Wealthy colonists like Yeardley sought to create a permanent legacy in the new world, and they used objects imported from Europe to do so. The tombstone reflects the social aspirations of the early settlers. They looked back to Europe for their cultural touchstones, even as they faced the challenges of building a new society in an unfamiliar land.
“Native Americans undoubtedly had earlier grave markers (perhaps made of wood that did not survive), but they were not made of carved stone. Nor did the English settlers have the technology and skills to cut and engrave tombstones; that is why they imported them,” said Prof. Key.
By combining fossil analysis with historical documents, scientists have been able to piece together not just the stone’s physical journey, but the larger story of Jamestown’s place in a global economy. The colony, it turns out, was far from isolated. it was part of a complex web of trade routes that stretched across the Atlantic and connected Europe’s sophisticated markets with the raw, untamed American frontier.
The findings appeared in the International Journal of Historical Archaeology.
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