Service régional de l'archéologie du Grand Est

French Guiana is still widely associated with its penitentiaries, even though the penal colony era (1852-1953) only represents one century in its History, which has been proved by archaeologists to have lasted at least 6000 years. The archaeology of penitentiaries is paradoxically still in its youth ; the first research on this kind of site was conducted only in 1993. Since 1995, however, new data on several penitentiaries has been collected through rescue archaeology, thanks to the proactive policy of the archaeology department of the local office of the Ministry of Culture. The following article takes stock of research in this domain, illustrated by two excavations carried out by INRAP in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni : the Transportation Camp and the Saint-Louis cemetery. It also exposes the essential problem of heritage management of this type of site, which is at the heart of the action of the Ministry in French Guiana.

Successful fieldwork in a tropical forest requires both a comprehensive preparatory scenario as well as a framework of everyday methods. Dense vegetation impedes navigating the terrain and interpreting the relations between the anthropogenic and natural landscapes. Additionally, the forest hampers using accurate measurement systems, such as GNSS and Total Station systems or UAV platforms. It hinders the logistics, effectively limiting the amount of equipment that can be used.