In Service to a Danish King: Comparing the Material Culture of Royal Enslaved Afro-Caribbeans and Danish Soldiers at the Christiansted National Historic Site

ABSTRACTNew archaeological research inside the Christiansted National Historic Site in St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands, has uncovered a wealth of cultural resources around the Danish West India and Guinea Company Warehouse that have lasting implications for the largely Afro-Caribbean descendent Crucian community living in St. Croix today. Following a stump removal, exposing the remains of a Danish military stock warehouse containing 3,152 artifacts, two excavations targeting the dwelling spaces of royal enslaved Afro-Caribbeans recovered over 4,000 artifacts within the same warehouse structure. This new research brings into focus the daily lives of the enslaved Afro-Caribbean peoples residing within the walls of the Danish West India and Guinea Company Warehouse in service to the King of Denmark. The project also brings attention to the lives of the Danish officers who carried out their operations in the same space. This article explores the relationship between these two groups.