Summary
The sixteenth century, specifically concerning shipbuilding,
presents a gap in the available information. As Jacques van Damme of the
Scheepsvaartmuseum Baasrode put it, "It's a hole" (Van Damme, 2013,
personal communication). The period is sandwiched between the Middle Ages and
the dawn of the Dutch Golden Age, two
periods with relative wealths of information, data, and material. For this
reason, the discovery of a vessel dated to this particular period provides a
small glimpse into the usually-dim era
of shipbuilders and shipbuilding.
OE34, a wooden flush-plank vessel roughly 16m long and 5m
wide, and dated (both dendrochronologically and relatively) to the second half
of the sixteenth century, was discovered in 1979 in a reclamated polder in
Flevoland, the Netherlands. The vessel featured ceiling planking, anextensive
framing system, and hull planking, as well as an assortment of associated
finds. Theseincluded a few weapons, barrels of quicklime, coins, ceramic
pitchers, and more. Over the course of two sessions in 2011 and 2012, under the
direction of the International Fieldschool of Maritime Archaeology Flevoland,
the vessel was excavated and deposed. The author herself participated in thesecond
session of excavation. Sources will therefore be the excavation drawings and
photographs, as well as comparisons to other vessels which are either
contemporaneous with OE34 or feature similar constructional characteristics.
It is the aim of this thesis to present the vessel in it's
entirety, both in constructional elementsand associated finds. Perhaps, in the
course of such scrutiny, it is possible to discern what the vesselmay have been
used for, and maybe even some conclusive statements can be made about the shipbuilders
who constructed it. It will not be a question of which typology of water-craft
to place the vessel. The author goes so far as to argue that such endeavours in
and of themselves do little in the way of academic research, and in the attempt
to shed light on the past. To, dare I say, simply categorize a vessel based on
construction method is moot. Rather, what can the comprehensive analysis of a
vessel tell us, if anything, about its possible function, and about those who
built and sailed it? "[Ships'] remains, like the words of historical
texts, carry meaning of far more interpretive value than simple identification like
labels in an old-fashioned museum case. A far better strategy is an approach
that seeks to capitalize on the source materials in a more integrated way"
(Adams, 2003, p 42). This holistic approach will take into account three
aspects of the vessel. First, the historical setting in which the vessel was
built and operated—namely the Netherlands in the period leading to the Dutch
Golden Age. Second, and more strongly, the construction of the vessel; careful
and methodical observation of every element of the vessel can reveal what
methods and materials were used when building it, as well as the constructional
philosophy behind it. Third and lastly,
to a lesser degree, the myriad associated finds will be considered, and the information
which can be gleaned from them. For example, coins found in the course of
excavation revealed the foundering date of the vessel, based on the lack of a
particular mark or stamp on those coins.
One may almost call this approach an anthropological one: the
human aspect should always be the final destination of a research question.
Quantitative data concerning the archaeological record is crucial and
infinitely useful, when used as a magnifying glass, microscope, or telescope to
those who created, used, and/or discarded or lost the artefact in question.
With this small wooden vessel from the Low Countries, approached with a
holistic (almost anthropological) view, the author hopes to come to conclusive
statements concerning who built and used her.
http://www.maritimearchaeology.dk/downloads/Logan%202013.pdf
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