Topics Related to Artifact of the Month
If you thought this would be a post about Blackbeard’s thought process or piratical tactics... you would be wrong. Instead, this post will discuss arguably one of the most important structural features of Blackbeard’s flagship: the head, or toilet, commonly referred to as the “seat of ease.”
Cannon, lead shot, pewter plates, gold dust, even a contentious pirate flag all readily come to mind when thinking of Blackbeard’s ship Queen Anne’s Revenge.
The number one question I get asked at the NCMM Demo Lab in Beaufort, NC is undoubtedly, "So…where’s Blackbeard’s gold?" This is a fair question given that at some point prior to its grounding in June of 1718,
Several sets of brass weights were recovered from underwater excavation of the Queen Anne’s Revenge Shipwreck. Some were flat or disc weights in round and square shapes.
Although buttons have been present in the archaeological record as decorative clothing elements as early as 2000 BC in the Indus Valley region, the first mention of the buttonhole was not until the 13th centu
Anchors have been made and lost for as long as humanity has taken to the sea, and the Queen Anne’s Revenge is no different.
In imagining the wrecking of a ship, tempestuous storms and heaving, angry seas come to mind, along with valiant sailors sacrificing their lives all in the name of conquest, trade, and adventure on the high seas. You might expect that when excavating a shipwreck, archaeologists regularly uncover the remains of those same unfortunate sailors. Human remains are in fact quite rare on shipwrecks due to the human body’s propensity to float away. We also know that in the case of Queen Anne’s Revenge, the wrecking itself occurred as a grounding, a far less violent end.
Glass beads were an important item in West African cultures, finding their way into the region prior to the 15th century through the trans-Sahara trade with North Africa. They functioned as ornamental items: strung into jewelry, belts, and rosaries, woven in hair, and sewn onto clothing and headdresses. Beads were also used in rites of passage or initiation ceremonies, used in protective charms and talismans, and found on statues and figurines.
The site of Queen Anne’s Revenge is covered in concreted cask hoops, such as the one pictured here. This is not surprising, since casks were the cardboard boxes of Blackbeard’s day.