Artefacts From Wrecks

The study of artefacts found on wrecks was the subject of an international conference held at the National Musuem of Wales in 1994. Concentrating on the period of transition in Europe, from the end of the Middle Ages to 1785, these essays describe some of the most important recent results. Contents include: Ships as integrated artefacts: the archaeological potential (Colin J M Martin); The IJsselmeer-polders: a 'source book' for late medieval and early post-medieval wreck inventories (Karel Vlierman); Material culture research of Canadian historical shipwrecks: the Machault legacy (Stephen Davis); The material culture of the Mary Rose as a fighting vessel (Alex Hildred); Reconstructing 16th centruy ship culture: the Cattewater wreck (Mark Redknap); A study of chests from Henry VIIIs warship Mary Rose, 1545 (Maggie Richards); Arms and armour from wrecks (Ruth R Brown); Footwear and other Artefacts from a 16th century Spanish Basque Galleon (Stephen Davis); Rhenish stoneware frpm shipwrecks: ceramic function and lifespan (David Gaimster);The identification, analysis and interpretation of tobacco pipes from wrecks (David Higgins); Coinage from Post-Medieval Wrecks (Edward Besly); Metal ingots from dated wrecks (Paul Craddock and Duncan Hook); The galley, utensils and cooking, eating and drinking vessels from a wreck on the Zuiderzee in 1673 (Karel Vlierman); The Cromwellian shipwreck off Duart Point, Mull (Colin J M Martin); Identifying a ship's place of departure with the help of artefacts (Piet Kleij);Wreck de Mer and the dispersed wreck sites: the case of the Ann Francis (1583) (Mark Redknap and Edward Besly); Artefacts from the Kronan (1676): preservation and social structure (Lars Einarsson); Family life on board: Dutch boat people 1600-1900 (A F L van Holk); Conclusion (Alan Aberg).

In studying the past, archaeologists have focused on the material remains of our ancestors. Prehistorians generally have only artifacts to study and rely on the diverse material record for their understanding of past societies and their behavior. Those involved in studying historically documented cultures not only have extensive material remains but also contemporary texts, images, and a range of investigative technologies to enable them to build a broader and more reflexive picture of how past societies, communities, and individuals operated and behaved. Increasingly, historical archaeology refers not to a particular period, place, or a method, but rather an approach that interrogates the tensions between artifacts and texts irrespective of context. In short, historical archaeology provides direct evidence for how humans have shaped the world we live in today. Historical archaeology is a branch of global archaeology that has grown in the last 40 years from its North American base into an increasingly global community of archaeologists each studying their area of the world in a historical context. Where historical archaeology started as part of the study of the post-Columbian societies of the United States and Canada, it has now expanded to interface with the post-medieval archaeologies of Europe and the diverse post-imperial experiences of Africa, Latin America, and Australasia. The 36 essays in the International Handbook of Historical Archaeology have been specially commissioned from the leading researchers in their fields, creating a wide-ranging digest of the increasingly global field of historical archaeology. The volume is divided into two sections, the first reviewing the key themes, issues, and approaches of historical archaeology today, and the second containing a series of case studies charting the development and current state of historical archaeological practice around the world. This key reference work captures the energy and diversity of this global discipline today.

This book is for the young and the old, for the novice and the expert. It is based on research and fact. It will serve as a guide and a reference for anyone with an interest in shipwrecks, artifacts, and treasures of all kinds.

Over the past twenty years there has been a significant increase in underwater activities such as scuba diving which, coupled with the adventure andromance always associated with shipwrecks, has led to rapid developments in the discovery and excavation of shipwrecked material. These shipwrecks are invaluable archaeological 'time capsules', which in themajoriety of cases have come to an equilibrium with their environment. As soon as artefacts on the wreck site are moved, this equilibrium is disturbed, and the artefacts may commence to deteriorate, sometimes in a rapid and devastating fashion. In fact excavation without having conservation facilities available is vandalism--the artefacts are much safer being left on the sea bed. Such famous shipwrecks as the Mary Rose (1545), the Wasa (1628) and the Batabia (1629) have not only brought the world's attention to these unique finds, but have also produced tremendous conservation problems. The treatment of a 30 metre waterlogged wooden hull or large cast iron cannon is still causing headaches to conservators.

This book presents a quantitative result from the elemental Inductively Coupled Plasma – Optical Emission Spectrometry (hereafter known as ICP-OES) analysis for three bronze gongs and 10 copper alloy artefacts from the shipwreck site off the northernmost tip of Borneo, Tanjung Simpang Mengayau Wreck the oldest shipwreck discovered in Malaysian waters. Despite various tools and techniques to obtain the elemental composition of metal artefacts, ICP-OES is considered modern and reliable analytical chemical instrument for these bronze artefacts from shipwreck and museum collection. The analyzed artefacts from the cargo, based on the decoration of ceramics pottery, patinas AD – 1279 AD. The elemental data would pertain the metal present in China and reflects the maritime trade by the Chinese to the Southeast Asian countries during the time period.

In 1997 Michael Flecker investigated a shipwreck in the north Java sea. The wreck comprised the remains of a mid 10th-century ship with its cargo of thousands of ceramic and non-ceramic artefacts. This report describes the methodology and aims of the underwater operation, discusses the finds that were recovered and places these within the context of maritime archaeology in southeast Asia. Flecker evaluates the evidence from the Intan shipwreck alongside contemporary historical information about sea travel, ports, trade routes and cargoes.