"A classic whose quality will meet the test of time. No doubt this book will become a standard reference for students of the early modern archaeology of the Spanish empire, be their focus under the ground or under the sea."--Russell Skowronek, Santa Clara University
"An important new archaeological approach. . . . To date, archaeologists have paid little systematic attention to [artifact collections recovered from shipwreck sites]. Marken's book demonstrates that this is a resource that simply cannot be ignored."--Lynn Harris, Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of South Carolina
With this original and comprehensive analysis of Spanish pottery, a large collection of securely dated examples recovered from shipwrecks appears in print for the first time. Because wrecks provide solid dates and a quantity of artifacts that far exceeds the number normally found on land sites, significant new generalizations now can be made about the role of pottery in the period of the Spanish empire.
Marken focuses on olive jars and tableware, the common pottery of the seaman and the everyday colonist. Heavily illustrated with drawings and photographs, this book will help create more accurate typologies and terminologies for these wares.
Without condoning the practice of treasure hunting, Marken decided to incorporate finds from legally salvaged wrecks: "There is no question that scientific, archaeological investigation of shipwrecks brings us closer to answering the real questions about people," he writes. "Ignoring the legally recovered artifacts has left archaeologists years behind in better understanding certain aspects of Spanish material culture. It is within this framework of 'rescue archaeology' that my work was undertaken, in the firm belief that much of the material I was able to record would be unavailable for study a generation hence."
Marken analyzes collections from eighteen shipwrecks that are housed in Britain, Bermuda, the Caribbean basin, and the states of Louisiana, Texas, and Florida. The ships were primarily engaged in trade with the New World or were transports and warships of the Spanish Armada. He discusses the origins of the ships, shipwreck sites, and events surrounding each wreck.
Marken focuses on olive jars and tableware, the common pottery of the seaman and the everyday colonist. Heavily illustrated with drawings and photographs, this book will help create more accurate typologies and terminologies for these wares.
Without condoning the practice of treasure hunting, Marken decided to incorporate finds from legally salvaged wrecks: "There is no question that scientific, archaeological investigation of shipwrecks brings us closer to answering the real questions about people," he writes. "Ignoring the legally recovered artifacts has left archaeologists years behind in better understanding certain aspects of Spanish material culture. It is within this framework of 'rescue archaeology' that my work was undertaken, in the firm belief that much of the material I was able to record would be unavailable for study a generation hence."
Marken analyzes collections from eighteen shipwrecks that are housed in Britain, Bermuda, the Caribbean basin, and the states of Louisiana, Texas, and Florida. The ships were primarily engaged in trade with the New World or were transports and warships of the Spanish Armada. He discusses the origins of the ships, shipwreck sites, and events surrounding each wreck.
Mitchell W. Marken received his Ph.D. from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, and is currently a project manager for Mariah Associates, Inc., in Reno, Nevada. He consults frequently on shipwrecks and other submerged site projects such as UCLA/RAINPEG in Guatemala, the USS Somers in Mexico, and the Lock Tay Crannog, a submerged Bronze Age site in Scotland. He is currently producing a twenty-part television series entitled "Shipwreck Discoveries."
