In "Unearthing Secret America," archeologists Marley Brown and Fraser Neiman uncover evidence that reveals much about the lives of slaves in America during the colonial period up through the 19th Century. - - - - - - - - - - - -

It's only in recent decades that scientists have recognized the lives of slaves as a subject worth investigating. Since slaves weren't formally educated, few first person accounts of life in bondage exist. Slave quarters and clothing have long since decayed. But the physical artifacts unearthed by archeologists are finally shedding a brighter light on colonial and early America. Now there's a wealth of information coming out -- how slaves lived, where they lived, what they ate, even their social lives. Here, FRONTIERS takes a closer look at these American lives.

Photo: Library of Congress