Mark Staniforth

The Meanings of Things

Each of the four vessels discussed in this book represents a slightly different facet of the long-distance carriage of goods to the early Australian colonies. These goods need not necessarily have been made in Great Britain since the British were tied into a burgeoning global economy. The cargoes could, and did, include goods from many parts of the British Empire as well as foreign sources from what was becoming a globally derived material culture. Furthermore, these cargoes were selected in different parts of the British Empire: India, Canada, as well as Great Britain itself.

Annales -Informed Approaches to the Archaeology of Colonial Australia

Archaeologists have generally been slow to recognize the value of Annales approaches to their discipline, and maritime archaeologists, in particular, have been even slower. The analytical framework used in this paper draws on applications of Annales approaches to archaeology in what is termed the “archaeology of the event.” The resulting holistic approach places the specificity of the event within the wider cultural context. Furthermore, terrestrial historical archaeology has largely ignored the potential that cargo material, derived from maritime archaeological excavations, has to contribute to understandings of colonial settlement. This paper moves beyond the usual functional approaches to the analysis of the meanings of material culture. A major part of the archaeological data used here is drawn from the cargo assemblages of four post-settlement shipwrecks excavated in Australian waters during the past 30 years: Sydney Cove, James Matthews, William Salthouse, and Eglinton. This paper provides a theoretical and methodological model for the systematic analysis of consumer goods that can be used to better understand cultural aspects of colonial settlement.

The abandoned ships' project: an overview of the archaeology of deliberate watercraft discard in Australia

The Abandoned Ships’ Project (ASP) was a research initiative of the Department of Archaeology at Flinders University, South Australia, and carried out in conjunction with the doctoral research of one of the authors (Richards 2002). The project involved the compilation of a database of more than 1,500 discarded and partly dismantled watercraft sites, including information from the archaeological inspection of more than 120 deliberately discarded ships. Researchers used this data to assess the degree of correlation between discard activities and economic, social, and technological issues. The logistics of discard were also examined as reflected in commentaries describing discard processes and as seen in the archaeological signatures of these events. This information illustrated the causal relationships among processes (landscape, economic trends, regulatory frameworks, and cultural site formation) associated with harm minimization, placement assurance, salvage, and discard activities.

Maritime Heritage Trails in Australia: An Overview and Critique of the Interpretive Programs

As special-interest tourism, in particular cultural tourism, has become more popular the promotion and presentation of archaeological sites for the public has become increasingly common. For many decades, tourists have been able to participate in archaeological site tours and heritage trails in places like the Middle East and Europe. This phenomenon is seen increasingly in other parts of the world (see, for example, Cleere, 1984, Cleere, 1989; Binks et al., 1988; Hall and McArthur, 1993; Potter, 1994; McManamon and Hatton, 2000). Initially, the presentation of archaeological artifacts and archaeological sites took the form of museum exhibits, site tours, and site open-days. In the last twenty years, however, heritage trails have become an important method of presenting a wide variety of heritage sites, enabling the public to access and enjoy these sites (Uzzell, 1989; Hosty, 1987; Tabata et.al., 1993).

Naval Battlefield Archaeology of the Lost Kublai Khan Fleets

From AD 1274 Chinese emperor Kublai Khan dispatched fleets of ships in a series of attempts to expand the empires hegemony and extend his rule into East Asia (Japan) and Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Champa and Java). Archaeological remains associated with the fleets and battles have been found at Takashima Island, Japan and on the Bạch Ðằng River, Vietnam. This paper develops a thematic approach to these sites within a framework of naval battlefield archaeology. It compares the similarities and differences in environmental conditions and archaeological contexts of the two sites in Japan and Vietnam. It also outlines recent archaeological research conducted between 2008 and 2010 on the physical remains at the Bạch Ðằng River battlefield site.

Shipwreck Cargoes: Approaches to Material Culture in Australian Maritime Archaeology

What has been learned from the detailed study of cargo material found on merchant shipwreck sites in Australia? Some extensive collections of shipwreck cargo material have resulted from archaeological excavations by maritime archaeologists over the past 30 years or so. Other collections have been created by SC UBA divers, primarily before the introduction of the Commonwealth (Federal) Historic Shipwrecks Act in 1976. Many of these have now been documented as a result of the 1993 amnesty. The relationship between cargo artifacts from archaeologically excavated shipwrecks and similar artifacts found on terrestrial historical archaeological sites is explored through a consideration of the meanings attached to these objects, suggesting ways that artifact studies focused on shipwreck cargo material can contribute to understandings of colonial societies, the nature of capitalism, and the rise of consumerism. It is argued that successful colonial settlement was only possible where there was a regular supply of suitable consumer goods for the newly arrived colonists.

The Swan River Colony and the Wrecks of James Matthews (1841) and Eglinton (1852)

This chapter provides the historical context and background to, as well as examining the history and archaeology of, two unsuccessful attempts to import cargoes of goods from Great Britain to the Swan River Colony. The first (James Matthews) occurred in 1841, just twelve years after British settlement and the second (Eglinton) was some eleven years later in 1852.

Methods and Sources

This chapter describes the methodology employed in conducting the research presented in this book. It also discusses the range of source materials available and, perhaps more importantly, indicates some of the limitations, or unavailability, of certain kinds of source materials.

Port Phillip and the Wreck of William Salthouse (1841)

This chapter begins with an examination of the background and historical context of a voyage by the trading vessel William Salthouse that ended when the vessel was lost at the entrance to Port Phillip in July 1841. Like Sydney Cove (see Chapter 5), William Salthouse sank just a few years after the establishment of the colony to which it had been dispatched. William Salthouse was nearing the end of a voyage from Montreal and Quebec in Canada to the newly established Port Phillip (Melbourne) colony carrying a cargo valued at £12,000 that included flour, salted fish, salted meat, building materials and alcohol. Since 1982, archaeological and historical research has been conducted to investigate the cargo of William Salthouse and this chapter presents and interprets some of the results of that research.

Port Jackson and the Wreck of Sydney Cove (1797)

The first part of this chapter provides the historical context and background for an unsuccessful attempt to import a speculative cargo into Port Jackson on board the country trade vessel Sydney Cove in 1796–1797. In February 1797, Sydney Cove was wrecked while on a voyage from Calcutta, India to the newly established British penal colony at Port Jackson (Sydney) carrying a speculative cargo that included alcohol, foodstuffs, livestock, textiles, ceramics and luxury goods. In recent years the archaeological excavation of Sydney Cove has revealed the remains of this cargo, including an extensive shipment of Chinese export porcelain. This research has provided material evidence about the trade networks that existed during the first years of Australian colonial settlement, in particular how Australia fitted into the trade with India and China during the late eighteenth century. The second part of this chapter examines the precise nature of some of the food, drink and other consumer goods that were being imported into the colony at that time through an examination of selected parts of the cargo of Sydney Cove. A specific part of the cargo-250 kg of Chinese export porcelain-is discussed in detail.