PORTSMOUTH - Physical evidence from the site of an African burial ground dating back to the 1700s supports the belief that the people buried there were slaves, an archaeological report has revealed.

A more than 100-page study by Independent Archaeological Consulting said that one of the eight bodies unearthed from the former cemetery on Chestnut Street showed signs of repetitive forearm rotation and possible inflammation in the right leg.

Archaeologists said this is "presumably from repeated shoveling, heavy lifting or other strenuous work."

"The discovery of a burial ground permits us to partially reconstruct the demographics of enslaved Africans of the 1700s," the report said.

Senior researcher Ellen Marlatt said any information archaeologists can gather about the remains is essential because the site is the only known African-American cemetery of its age in New England.

"It’s a very small sample, but it’s all we have," Marlatt said Monday, adding that they hope to issue a "more polished" report when funding and time permits.

Archaeologists concluded that the burial ground probably extended between State and Court streets, and as many as 200 graves may still lie beneath the west lane of Chestnut Street.

During Colonial times, the area was on the outskirts of the city, which archaeologists said signifies the separation of blacks from whites in life and in death.

Archaeologists said the confirmation of a segregated African burial ground "vividly reminded (them) of the role enslaved labor played in the rise of the Portsmouth seaport and its maritime commerce."

While analysis of wooden coffin material could not determine how old the graves were, it’s believed the site was used as an African-American cemetery for most of the 18th century, the report said.

As the city expanded, the cemetery was essentially paved over and "officially dismissed and forgotten by most Portsmouth residents for nearly 300 years," the report said.

Old city maps and newspaper articles make reference to a "Negro Burial Ground" near Chestnut Street, but remains were not discovered until October 2003 when the city was doing sewer work in the area.

Marlatt said DNA testing confirmed African ancestry of four people and that they are still waiting for DNA results for the other remains. She said, however, that dental characteristics, historical accounts and other forensic evidence cause them to believe all the remains found are of African descent.

"What’s important is that all those things together point to African ancestry," she said. "No single one of them is conclusive."

Although eight individual remains were removed, archaeologists found unrelated bone and teeth in coffins. In all, the remains of an estimated 13 individuals were studied.

Of these 13, four were determined to be males and one female. Archaeologists could not determine the sex of the others.

Out of the eight individuals, most were adults who died around the age of 40, although one may have lived a decade longer, the report said. One child between the ages of 7 and 12 was buried above an adult male in a stacked burial.

Marlatt said the deterioration of remains made it impossible for archeologists to determine the cause of death for any individual.

With the exception of one possible shroud pin, no artifacts were found within the coffins. Archaeologists noted that this means the people were buried in shrouds, not formal clothes.

This may point to a person’s economic status, because in poorer communities, clothing was often passed on to the living rather than buried with the dead, the report said.

AT A GLANCE

Copies of the preliminary archaeological report regarding remains found at the city’s old African Burial Ground can be found at the library or Portsmouth Athenaeum. The report includes facts like the following: