Page 376 - Green - Maritime Archaeology: A Technical Handbook. 2nd ed

Chapter 13: Post-Excavation Research 355
not this debate at all but how it can operate within cultural resource man- agement (see the following sections).
From a maritime archaeological perspective, there are a number of dif- ferent ways that the historical record might be employed. In shipwreck archaeology, there is often a variety of information that may have relevance for the study. The record may describe what type of ship it was, what it was doing when it was lost, and where it was wrecked. It may be possible to dis- cover the name of the ship. If this information can be traced, the lists of cargo may be helpful in predicting the range of material likely to be found on the site, particularly as some things perish in time and are no longer part of the archaeological record. By using an integrated approach to the subject, the history can improve the depth of the archaeological study. The written record will help in the identification of the site, it may explain the way the ship broke up in time, and how that has affected the distribu- tion of the material on the site, and its present-day appearance.
The volume of the historical record obviously varies according to the times. For the Classical period, information on shipping and ships is limited to the few authors who wrote about the subject and to the few iconographic representations of ships. There are periods, particularly the Dark Ages, during which almost nothing was written or illustrated about the subject; for example, most of our knowledge about Viking ships comes from archae- ology rather than history. In the post-medieval period, from about the beginning of the 17th century onward, there is a cumulative body of infor- mation, albeit not always as comprehensive as might be expected. Whereas it may be thought that shipbuilding in the 17th century is well understood, there are only two major Dutch works written on the subject. This is in spite of the fact that the Dutch were one of the greatest shipbuilders of the time.
Toward the end of the 17th century, more detailed records and accounts survive, so that as we move into the modern period, the quantity prolifer- ates. Likewise, the trade that the ships were conducting and the social life onboard are described in greater detail. From the 18th century onward, the quantity of historical information becomes overwhelming and the maritime archaeologist may have difficulties in coming to terms with the abundance of information. Some people, notably maritime historians, voice the opinion that there is little point in doing serious maritime archaeology in this period because nearly everything about a particular ship will be recorded in the archives, and that there are detailed plans and descriptions of the ship. Therefore, it is argued, the archaeological study is superfluous. This view is, of course, taken from the perspective of an historian who is more interested in broad issues rather than the particular details. The maritime archaeolo- gist is concerned with details, and it is these details that are often