Swedish limestone paving in 17th-and 18th-century English buildings

Documents concerning buildings by Christopher Wren record the use of Swedish and Danish marble as a paving material. In order to establish the origin of these marbles, original pavings are examined at St Paul's Cathedral and elsewhere. Through analyses of samples and by means of other evidence both marbles are identified as Orthoceras Limestone from the Swedish island of Öland. The stone industry of Öland is described and the import of Swedish stone into England in the 17th and 18th centuries is traced through Scandinavian and English customs accounts.     

The 4th-century B.C. shipwreck at Mazotos,Cyprus: New techniques and methodologies in the 3D mapping of shipwreck excavations

Abstract

Well preserved ancient shipwrecks are rare in the archaeological record, but when discovered, they can provide valuable information on a wide range of research issues if analyzed and documented properly. In this paper we discuss the significance, potential, and constraints of mapping methods applied during the underwater excavation of shipwreck sites with special emphasis on stratigraphy, documentation of finds, and reconstruction of site formation processes. As a case study, we present the digital photogrammetry and computer vision software programs used in the excavation of the 4th-century b.c. shipwreck at Mazotos, Cyprus. Our goal is to develop a targeted documentation and mapping method of ongoing shipwreck excavations so that others can address complex research questions concerning this unique discipline of archaeology.     

An 18th-century timber wharf in Copenhagen Harbour

Abstract

An archaeological investigation prior to the building of Copenhagen's new Opera House examined an impressive wooden wharf built in the 1780s around Ankerøen, the island on which the Danish navy stored its anchor stocks. When considered with documentary evidence, the excavated structure can be shown to employ a distinctive method of construction, comparable to that used in the so-called 'Hamburg' type of wharf, with a heavy box-like frame fronted with slanting storm posts. It was abandoned by the mid-19th century, when the shape of ships' hulls changed.     

Internal oxidation of cast iron artifacts from an 18th-century steel cementation furnace

Heavily corroded metal artifacts recovered from the site of an 18th-century steel cementation furnace in Trenton, New Jersey, are cast iron altered by internal oxidation. The progress of the internal oxidation process was followed by comparison with the microstructure of cast iron exposed to high temperature in a wood-burning fireplace. The graphite flake structure of the cast iron allows deep, rapid penetration of oxygen that reacts at the iron–carbon interfaces within the iron to form iron oxides that eventually replace the graphite flakes. Microprobe analyses show that the silicon in the cast iron is converted to knebelite that also serves as the host for phosphorus. Sulfur dispersed in the internal oxidation product and porosity appear to be responsible for rapid rusting of the artifacts. Internal nitriding accompanies the oxidation. The Trenton artifacts are interpreted as grate bars from the fire box of a cementation furnace.     

Qualified Toleration: Bermuda and the English Revolution

Central to both the causes and development of the English revolution was the demand for reformation of the Church of England. The question of what shape this reform should take, however, divided English men and women. Debates over the further reformation of the Church of England were also complicated by the emergence of increasingly vocal and powerfully‐placed calls for freedom of religion, ranging from a limited toleration for a certain few to a broader liberty of conscience for all. This article looks at the debate surrounding liberty of conscience during the English revolution in 1644–5, but from a fresh angle: examining the context and rationale for the parliamentary ordered religious settlement of the English Atlantic colony of Bermuda in October of 1645. Integrating the fortunes of this Atlantic colony into the history of the English revolution reconfigures our understanding and analysis of revolutionary religion and politics.     

Excavations at Rainbow Quay,an 18th-century whale rendering plant,Rotherhithe, London

Abstract

An excavation was jointly undertaken by Thames Valley Archaeological Services and Pre-Construct Archaeology at Rainbow Quay, Rope Street, Southwark, London, (TQ 3650 7912), during July and August 1996. The proposed development of the site by Fairclough Homes (Southern) Ltd of some 0.82 ha., sandwiched between Greenland Dock and South Dock (see Fig. 1), provided an excellent opportunity to unearth and investigate a sequence of dock related structures dating from c. 1700, when the Howland Great Wet Dock (later known as Greenland Dock) was constructed¹ through to the 1970s when the docks were closed. The scope of this article is to describe the results of the excavation and in particular to discuss the usage of the site during the 18th and early 19th centuries. Of special interest were structures pertaining to the whaling industry, their demolition and subsequent replacement with warehousing facilities.     

The 18th-century traditions of representation in a new age of revolution

What happened to shared historical experiences in the discursive processes of constitutional reform in Sweden and Finland? This article examines the use of 18th-century history in early 20th-century politics. Building on a long-term survey of Swedish and Finnish estate and parliamentary debates, it analyses the political implications of differing national historiographies in the two successor states of the 18th-century Swedish realm, focusing on how the ancient past and collective (and often selective) memories of the Age of Absolutism, the Age of Liberty and the Gustavian Age were used by parliamentarians in constitutional debates. The analysis demonstrates how the Finnish polity continued to be profoundly influenced by these 18th-century constitutions even after the Russian Revolution, while Sweden took the post-French Revolution constitution of 1809 as its point of departure. In both countries, interpretations of the long 18th century were ideologically motivated in an age of the parliamentarization of government and the democratization of the representative system. This leads us to a discussion of the history-political significance of the common and differing understandings of representative government in the two interconnected countries.     

Donyatt-type pottery in 17th- and 18th-century Virginia and Maryland

Abstract

Thirty-three examples of pottery matching visually the wares made at the kiln sites of Donyatt, south Somerset, England, have been identified from five sites in Virginia and Maryland, the identifications of two vessels being confirmed by Inductively Coupled Plasma analysis. The paper presents a corpus of the finds identified, draws attention to the good quality of the dating evidence on some sites and offers a guide to the identification of such wares to stimulate further discoveries.     

'The mystical character of commodities': the consumer society in 18th-century England

Abstract

This article argues for an alternative response to the 'consumer society' hypothesis for 18th-century England, which is seen to focus on large-scale development and obscure the relations between people and objects. Returning to Marx's theories regarding 'consumer fetishism' and utilising Bruno Latour's work on hybrids and the human and the non-human, the paper considers the manner in which people used objects and objects used people. Utilizing the courtesy books and 'it-narratives' of the 18th century and the later works of Jane Austen, the paper argues that goods should not be seen only as commodities.     

A mid-18th-century mikveh unearthed in the Jewish Historical Museum in Amsterdam

Abstract

In 2006 archaeological research was conducted in the New Synagogue, part of Amsterdam's Ashkenazi Synagogue complex, built between 1671 and 1752, which now houses the Jewish Historical Museum. The most remarkable find was a mid-18th-century mikveh or ritual bath, used for ceremonial purification by immersion; such baths played a key role in Jewish life. The excavated example was well preserved and retained its water supply and heating system. Although it served in a specific Jewish ritual context, the structure followed the everyday construction principles of Amsterdam builders.