Page 4 - Bulletin 9 2005

1

MARITIME ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE CAPE PENINSULA

Jonathan Sharfman

Maritime archaeology

Archaeology is the study of physical traces of past ways of life through the examination of
material culture. Maritime archaeology focuses specifically on humanity’s relationship with

the sea. Because of the destructive nature of archaeology, scientific methodology and
meticulous recording are of paramount importance. Archaeology has been likened to

reading a book and tearing out and burning the pages as they are completed. As each layer

of an archaeological site is excavated and objects are removed, the site is effectively
destroyed. Shipwreck sites, in particular, contain a host of information about individuals

aboard the ship, ship structure, technological advancements, social interactions and
economic changes that are not recorded in historical documentation. Perhaps the most

obvious example of the way that maritime archaeology adds to historical knowledge can be

illustrated by the examination of shipboard life.

Maritime regulations are well recorded but do not consider the variables of single voyages.
Less well documented in historical records are the personalities of commanders and

officers, the subtle changes in technologies or alterations that might have been made to
make shipboard life easier, the everyday life of common sailors and soldiers, and the

interactions between people on board ship with each other and with people in foreign

climes. These aspects would have affected the way in which those people thought. On
reaching their destinations the traits assimilated on board ship would have been applied to

life on land and changed, even subtly, the way in which life unfolded.

The objects that were left behind after shipwreck events give clues as to how these