The Jewish Community of Nevis Archaeology Project

Sometimes, when selecting a FamilyFirst site, I just go to Yahoo! And use their directory to find something obscure. That's what I did today. You just can't get much more obscure than the Jewish community that lived on the Caribbean island of Nevis in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The fact is that there was such a population, and it's the subject of today's FamilyFirst site: The Jewish Community of Nevis Archaeology Project.

Here's their mission:

“It is the goal of this project to record the history of the seventeenth and eighteenth century Jewish community of the Caribbean island of Nevis through ongoing documentary research and archaeological investigations. This research is made possible in part by the support of the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society, the Nevis Field Research Centre, a grant from The Commonwealth Jewish Council, and the generous contributions of private donors.”

As my regular readers know, I'm a history fanatic. And this site is loaded with it.

Read about the history of Nevis itself, located within the Lesser Antilles group. It's a single dormant volcanic cone that was spotted by Columbus on his second voyage in 1498.

Then, learn about the Jewish population. Read about the search for the synagogue, the center of Jewish life. And check out the non-invasive excavation of the cemetery on the island. The grave markers cover dates from 1679 to 1730. That's old!

So enjoy today's obscure FamilyFirst site. And doff your hat to the internet itself, which makes little studies like this one feasible.

Click here

Digg It! It's Del.icio.us! Furl It!