Buried Beneath the City: An Archaeological History of New York

Returning lecturers H. Arthur Bankoff, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Anthropology at Brooklyn College; and Amanda Sutphin, Director of Archaeology at the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, share highlights from their book, co-written with two other archaeologists, that retells the history of New York from the deeper layers of the past to the topsoil of recent events. They explore the ever-evolving city and daily life of its residents, tracing Indigenous societies more than 10,000 years ago to the detritus of Dutch and English colonization through the burgeoning city’s transformation into the modern metropolis. These artifacts reveal the density, diversity, and creativity of a city perpetually tearing up its foundations to rebuild itself.