Jordan's Journey: An Artifactual Approach
Atlantic World Archaeology 

        Jordan’s Journey, a 17th-century settlement located in Prince George County, Virginia is situated near the intersection of the Appomattox and James Rivers and holds a strong history because of its involvement in the Anglo-Powhatan Wars. This area, being near abundant water sources and fertile ground, allowed for a productive living space for the Weyanoke Indians, a group under the power of the Powhatan chiefdom, which controlled much of the area during the time of European settlement. The Weyanoke Indians, however, were removed from the land and, instead, in 1620, European settler, Samuel Jordan, his wife, kids, and servants took control of the location before his death in 1623 and lived in this area for about 15 years before (Maryland Archaeological Conservation Lab, 2016).

        More than 60,000 artifacts were found and recovered from the Jordan’s Journey site, but for the purpose of clarity and focus of this project, only Features 320 and 409 were chosen for analytical comparisons. Feature 320, a cellar located inside the North end of Structure 4, held 4,485 excavated artifacts that included many types of weaponry materials. These included, but we not limited to: bandoliers, shoulder belts to carry ammunition; brigandines, a metal armor worn on the chest; a gorget, metal armor worn to protect the throat; and gunflint, used to ignite the gunpowder in firearms (Maryland Archaeological Conservation Lab, 2016). Throughout this report, I delve into the collections of artifacts found within Features 320 and 409 to hypothesize the uses and importance of each of the two areas within the Jordan’s Journey settlement.