(Re) constructing a lost community: "Little Lon," Melbourne, Australia

Abstract

The reanalysis of archaeological and documentary evidence of a vanished community (that of Casselden Place in the heart of the area known as "Little Lon" in central Melbourne) has fostered a more thoroughgoing exploration of the nature of the urban slum in Australia. There are significant questions raised by the interpretation of Casselden Place (and Little Lon) as a community during the 19th century (some of the most important of which center on the nature of assemblage composition among poor households of the period). This paper also touches on the means by which new and more complex histories of such vanished communities can be written. As such, the discussion builds on earlier methodolog..