The real historical Monticello was a 5000-acre plantation. It was home not only to Thomas Jefferson and his family, but also to scores of free workmen and to hundreds of enslaved African-Americans and their families, whose skills and labor powered Jefferson's agricultural and industrial enterprises. The social, economic and ecological dynamics of this complex society are a major focus of the Department's research at Monticello. New archaeological research initiatives are beginning to yield exciting insights into this vanished world.