Archaeology of Manners

A glance at the title of this book might well beg the question "e;What in heaven's name does archaeology have to do with manners? We cannot dig up manners or mannerly behavior-or can we?"e; One might also ask "e;Why is mannerly behavior important?"e; and "e;What can archaeology contribute to our understanding of the role of manners in the devel- ment of social relations and cultural identity in early America?"e; English colonists in America and elsewhere sought to replicate English notions of gentility and social structure, but of necessity div- ged from the English model. The first generation of elites in colonial America did not spring from the landed gentry of old England. Rather, they were self-made, newly rich, and newly possessed of land and other trappings of England's genteel classes. The result was a new model of gentry culture that overcame the contradiction between a value system in which gentility was conferred by birth, and the new values of bo- geois materialism and commercialism among the emerging colonial elites. Manners played a critical role in the struggle for the cultural legitimacy of gentility; mannerly behavior-along with exhibition of refined taste in architecture, fashionable clothing, elegant furnishings, and literature-provided the means through which the new-sprung colonial elites defined themselves and validated their claims on power and prestige to accompany their newfound wealth.