Lightening the Load: Five 19th-Century River Lighters at Erith on the River Thames, UK

Five early-19th-century Thames lighters, up to 22 m long, in an excellent state of preservation, were recorded during pre-construction archaeological works. The lighters had been used as the main structural elements in a mid-19th-century river-wall. The lighters and river-wall are described, and aspects of the construction discussed. The craft exemplify utilitarian trends in early industrial age boatbuilding, and were essential in the development of the international port. Although comparatively recent in date, details of their 'bottom-up' construction are not well known.
© 2009 The Authors     

Migration and Death Ceremonies On St. Kitts and Nevis

Since British slave emancipation in 1838, Afro-Caribbean men and women of St. Kitts and Nevis in the Leeward Caribbean have emigrated and returned in order to sustain their local societies. Economic uncertainty and social oppression both at home and abroad have inspired Kittitians and Nevisians to develop mobile livelihood strategies in order to tap ever-changing sources of employment. Labor migrants from the two islands have therefore often resisted permanent commitments in any one direction except for occasionally returning home. These periodic returns are important to the local community because the migrants usually bring back money and gifts to kinsmen and friends. A related obligation, especially in recent years, has been for migrants to return to family funerals. Funeral attendance confers economic advantages on both permanent residents of St. Kitts and Nevis and the migrant workers abroad. The money and gifts brought back by returning migrants help sustain the local community. The returning migrants themselves are also assured a warm welcome in case they are forced to return in the future by changing conditions abroad, a not unlikely possibility. Local mortuary practices on St. Kitts and Nevis are therefore not simply symbolic displays but also important economic events.     

The new Siberia

This paper assesses relationships between Scottish ice climbing and daily weather conditions between 1961 and 1990. Synoptic air flow and instrumental climate data from Braemar and Fort Augustus were analysed in relation to first ascents of ice climbs in the Cairngorms, and on Ben Nevis and Creag Meagaidh. Lagged weather variables were calculated and stepwise logistic regression was used to estimate optimum models for both areas. Significant variables are anticyclonicity, low minimum air temperature and northerly or easterly airflow (Cairngorms, P = 0.0006); and northerly or easterly airflow, low minimum air temperature and low precipitation (Ben Nevis and Creag Meagaidh, P < 0.0001). A five‐day cold spell is optimum for Ben Nevis and Creag Meagaidh. A week with relatively little precipitation is beneficial in both areas. Air flow direction is more influential than vorticity, the optimum predictors of ice conditions using synoptic data alone are a persistent easterly component (beneficial), and a persistent southerly and westerly component (detrimental), P < 0.0001.     

The Prehistoric Settlement Pattern of Nevis,West Indies

Abstract

This paper reports the results of an intensive settlement survey of Nevis, a volcanic island of 132 sq km in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles. Twenty-one sites were discovered from three major periods—the aceramic in the last millennium B.C., the Saladoid in the first 600 years A.C., and the Ostionoid period dating from 600 A.C. until European contact. The implications of the distribution of settlements and their artifact assemblages for the prehistory of the Leeward Islands are discussed.     

A Cognitive Approach to Extant Boat Structure in Goa,India

This article presents information derived from unfunded fieldwork undertaken between 2008 and 2014 in Goa, India. Traditional boat structure is understood in the context of the use of local materials in response to climatic, geophysical, and cultural factors. Expanded and unexpanded logboats are shown to affect differently the pirogues based on them. The outrigger is not used as a sailing aid. Small sailed boats with sewn strakes on a keel‐plank are compared with 19th‐century records. Simple techniques are used on larger sewn and metal‐fastened vessels still being built. Today some factors combine to compromise traditional construction, while others are bringing about the demise of the vessels themselves.     

Neo in Oceania

Between 1790 and 1830, Hawaiian chiefs built, purchased or otherwise acquired a fleet of Westernstyle sailing vessels which they used to transform various aspects of Hawaiian culture, including military engagements, tribute collection, inter-island commerce and status competition. A list of 41 such vessels with known names is presented, but historical records point to the existence of dozens of other such ships whose names have not been identified. These data allow for the estimation of economic investments made by chiefs in the purchase of ships, and document a trend in which the earliest Western-style vessels were built locally, only later to be replaced by a tendency to buy foreign vessels. Issues pertaining to power, agency, colonialism and indigenous self-determination in the transformation of Pacific cultures are discussed.     

Freedom and migration in the Leeward Caribbean, 1838–1848

At emancipation in the British Caribbean in 1838, newly freed blacks in larger territories established “reconstituted peasantries” on non-plantation lands. Similar village adaptations were impossible on some smaller islands where planters continued to control all of the islands' lands. In St Kitts and Nevis landless freemen emigrated to Trinidad by the hundreds to establish individual independence and to support kinsmen and friends left behind. Within a decade most migrants from St Kitts and Nevis had returned. They had thus carved out a “migration adaptation” in response to planter oppression at home and livelihood opportunity elsewhere by expanding individual livelihood spaces across the Caribbean Sea. They thereby began to establish extra-island networks of potential labour destinations while at the same time resisting permanent commitments in any one direction except for periodically returning home. Migration and return has persisted as a widespread livelihood strategy among individuals of small Caribbean islands who continue to face economic and ecological uncertainties, conditions similar to those on St Kitts and Nevis at emancipation. Individual adaptability, not group behaviour, has always been important in migration and return in the Lesser Antilles.     

William speirs bruce,the ben nevis observatory,and antarctic meteorology

Following his participation in an expedition to the Weddell Sea (1892–1893), William Speirs Bruce determined to undertake further polar research and sought training and experience in such techniques and methodologies as might prove useful to him in securing opportunities to participate in future expeditions. During 1895–1896 he worked at the Ben Nevis Observatory gaining experience of meteorological research. The experience he gained in the design and operation of an observatory in a harsh environment he was later to apply when he established an observatory on Laurie Island, South Orkneys. This paper draws on a recently discovered archival source (Swinney (2001) to re‐examine Brace's involvement with the Ben Nevis Observatory.     

LATE GALLEYS: The Fredriksvern Naval Shipyard and the coastal defence in Norway 1750–1814

From the early 18th century the Mediterranean galley experienced a new golden age in the Baltic Sea, as it was well adapted to the shallow sea with the islands and skerries found there. In Norway the Fredriksvern naval shipyard was founded in 1750 to build a galley fleet. For various reasons progress was slow, and when the galley fleet finally was built in the 1760s, it was probably the last one in Europe. New and more efficient inshore vessels were soon developed in the neighbouring countries, but they were not put into use in Norway in the 18th century. The explanation for Norway’s poor performance was probably too much peace: when Denmark-Norway became involved in the Napoleonic Wars, naval development was dramatically improved.     

Conflict and State Development in Ancient Tonga: The Lapaha Earth Fort

Warfare is often considered as a key factor in the formation complex societies, but in the Pacific archaeological evidence for inter-group conflict during political centralization is rare. Most earthwork forts in Tonga are assumed to have been built in the nineteenth century when the traditional system of rulership collapsed, yet few forts on Tongatapu have been excavated or 14C dated. A fort in the chiefly center of the ancient Tongan state was mapped with theodolite and LiDAR, and excavated. Radiocarbon and traditional history indicate the fort known as the Lapaha Kolotau was made in the fourteenth century AD at the same time that chiefly architecture was being built at an unprecedented scale at the new elite center. The construction of an earthwork fort provides the first evidence that political centralization in Tonga was likely to have been contested.     

‘The Old Woman as Hare’: Structure and Meaning in an Irish Legend

This paper looks at the St Kitts and Nevis Mummies' plays as published in Folklore by Roger Abrahams (1968). It demonstrates that the texts were originally taken from a play published by the Victorian children's author Mrs J.H. Ewing. This play appeared in several editions, most notably in two series issued by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. Mrs Ewing's text was itself compiled from three northern English chapbook texts and a version from Silverton, Devon. The relative contribution of these texts to Mrs Ewing's play, and the way she put them together, are both explored.     

A New View of the ‘Edesö Wreck’: identifying the Swedish naval vessel Bodekull,built 1659–1661 and sunk 1678 from written sources

This article complements the archaeological account of the so‐called ‘Edesö Wreck’ with archival research that has led to its identification. In 1659 the Swedish King Karl X Gustav ordered a number of vessels for transport of horses and soldiers while at war with Denmark. The king died just a few months later, the war with Denmark was aborted, and the unfinished vessels were rebuilt to serve other purposes. One of these was Bodekull, built under English master shipwright Thomas Day between 1659 and 1661. In October 1678 Bodekull sank in the Stockholm archipelago. Alterations made during construction mentioned in written sources have been noted on the wreck and strengthen the argument for the identification.     

重庆忠县大坟坝六朝墓葬发掘报告

大坟坝三座六朝墓葬是有封土的家族墓葬群,皆为刀把形墓葬,峡江地区东汉即流行用子母砖套接的曲折线形券顶式的刀形墓葬。三座墓清理出数量不等的陶器,有陶釜、甑、罐、盆和完整的炊器、日用器,其装饰绳纹富于原始特色。墓葬有打破关系,六朝墓里有东汉遗物,把前代墓葬遗物再放置新墓葬内,是否是该地区的一种葬俗,仍值得研究。     

The dhow as cultural icon: heritage and regional identity in the western Indian Ocean

Dhows, the traditional sailing ships of the western Indian Ocean, are currently used in museums, heritage sites and popular culture as a symbol of a regional culture in the western Indian Ocean. While scholars have embraced the notion of seas as cultural or historical units, this type of ‘basin thinking’ is a recent phenomenon in the Indian Ocean. Over the last 150 years the dhow has gone from being a despised symbol of the slave trade and economic underdevelopment to representing a romanticized past and a regional identity. This article traces the parallel development of the idea of the dhow as a symbol of regional identity and changing perceptions of both the vessels and the region it is taken to represent. It argues that recent representations of dhows as cultural heritage represent a new and developing notion of regional identity within the western Indian Ocean.     

NON‐DESTRUCTIVE ANALYSIS OF ‘ORIGINAL’ SONG DYNASTY GUAN WARES AND LATER IMITATIONS FROM THE PALACE MUSEUM COLLECTIONS,BEIJING

Fifty‐eight porcelain samples in Guan ware style from the collections of the Palace Museum in Beijing were analysed using non‐destructive ED‐XRF. These included 40 vessels that were traditionally ascribed as Guan wares of the Song Dynasty, and 18 vessels traditionally ascribed as imitation Guan wares, made during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The purposes of this study were: (1) to cross‐check the traditional identification of these wares with the new classification based on their chemical compositions; and (2) to carry out a provenance study of the authentic Song Guan wares—that is, to compare the chemical compositions of the authentic Song Guan wares with those of the shards unearthed from the known Guan ware kilns of the Song Dynasty. This study shows that: (1) the chemical compositions of the glaze are significantly different between the Song Guan wares and the imitation wares—among the 58 wares tested, seven are likely to have been misidentified by the traditional method; and (2) the glaze compositions of the authentic Song Guan wares themselves are not homogeneous, and they can be divided into three groups. The provenance of these groups was briefly investigated.     

Humbler Craft: Rafts of the Egyptian Nile, 17th to 20th Centuries AD

Accounts and images created by foreign travellers on the Egyptian Nile over the past four centuries indicate the widespread use of rafts and floats for both local and long‐distance travel. Many of the materials employed survive poorly in archaeological deposits, or are otherwise easily overlooked as components of river‐craft: moreover, several of these raft‐types were built for a single journey or season, then dismantled. These travellers' accounts and images alert us to much humbler vessels than the well‐preserved wooden boats of the Pharaonic elite which have so far commanded the attention of maritime archaeologists. © 2010 The Author     

The Reuse of Vessels as Harbor Structures: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

Ships and boats, both intact and disarticulated, have been reused as port and harbor structures for at least the last two millennia. Based on the many available examples, it is now possible to analyze the reuse of ships within the larger context of harbor structures as a form of vernacular architecture. Fundamental to this analysis is the observation that vessels were not reused in all ports or during all periods; consequently, by examining where, when, and how vessels were reused it is possible to understand some of the environmental, social, and economic factors that led to vessel reuse.     

Wine and olive oil permeation in pitched and non-pitched ceramics: relation with results from archaeological amphorae from Sagalassos,Turkey

Pitch compounds are frequently identified inside archaeological ceramic vessels. As their presence might affect the permeation of oil or wine into the ceramic fabric, experiments were conducted in which the diffusion of lipids or polyphenols into pitched and non-pitched modern vessels was followed by chemical analysis. Results show that the polyphenols of wine can intrude into the ceramics even through a pitch layer. Consequently, the absence of polyphenols in archaeological sherds is not due to their inability to reach the ceramic matrix under the pitch layer. By contrast, a pitch layer is quite effective to avoid oil intrusion into the ceramic matrix. Thus, it seems logical that oil amphorae would have been coated with pitch at the inside prior to use. Experiments in which the pitched ceramic was simultaneously exposed to oil and wine, show that the wine makes the pitch more permeable for the lipid compounds. These experimental data are confronted with residue analysis results obtained on amphorae fragments excavated in Sagalassos, Turkey. Pitch and oil were frequently found together. Based on a polyphenol test, indications for wine storage could only be obtained for two vessels. Against this background, the possible uses of the Sagalassos amphorae are discussed, and the traditional association of pine pitch with wine storage in archaeological amphorae is critically assessed.     

Compositional study of bronze vessels from the Derveni tombs of central Macedonia of the fourth century bce using energy‐dispersive micro‐X‐ray fluorescence (EDμXRF) spectrometry

The chemical composition of 61 copper alloy vessels was studied non‐invasively by energy‐dispersive micro‐X‐ray fluorescence (EDμXRF) spectrometry. The vessels were found in five tombs (A, B, D, Z and H) at Derveni in central Macedonia, Greece, which belong to the cemetery of the ancient city of Lete. The tombs are dated to the last quarter of the fourth century bce . The opulence of the numerous grave offerings denotes the high social status of the deceased within Macedonian society. The material under study was divided into two main groups according to their appearance and use. The first group included 44 vessels with a golden appearance for use in banquets; the second group consisted of 17 dark vessels for domestic use. The aim of this research was to study the vessels' technology according to their chemical composition. Both golden and dark vessels consisted of a binary Cu‐Sn alloy and a slight amount of impurities (Fe, Ni, Zn, Pb, As, Co, Sb, Ag, Ti). It is probable that during construction the ancient metalsmiths were taking into account criteria such as the desired appearance, cost of metals, future use and physical properties such as resistance to corrosion. Banquet vessels had a consistent chemical composition in all their different parts compared with those for domestic use. The only chemical element used systemically for alloying purposes, except Sn, was Pb in order to improve the castability of the bases and handles of the vessels. The study provides additional information about the metalworking of bronzes in central Macedonia in the fourth century bce, as well as about the access Macedonian metalworkers had at the time to the raw materials for such use.     

Mud box—filled with stone: the wreck of the scow schooner Dan Hayes

Scow Schooners are an important yet largely unstudied vessel type that operated on the North American Great Lakes. At their zenith in the later 19th century scow schooners worked between the many small harbours and the larger nexus ports such as Chicago, Detroit, and Milwaukee. These vessels are virtually undocumented either historically or archaeologically. A project by East Carolina University's Maritime Studies Program and the State Historical Society of Wisconsin in 2001 documented the wrecked scow schooner Dan Hayes , revealing much information concerning this vessel class and the limestone industry in which it was employed. Although an ordinary scow schooner, its construction techniques are surprising, showing evidence of prefabrication. The bottom of the ship was apparently built inverted and flipped over before sides and bow were added, the first evidence that inverted construction could be accomplished with such large vessels.