The Archaeology of Shipwrecks英文学习资料.pdfVIP

Chapter 25 The Archaeolog/ of Shipwrecks KEITH MUCKELROY I. INTRODUCTION Given that maritime archaeology is concerned with the study of ships and seafaring, and that its principal sources of data lie in the remains of such activities preserved on the seashore or seabed, it follows that the interpretation of such data is closely bound up with an understanding of what is involved in a shipwreck. The shipwreck is the event by which a highly organized and dynamic assemblage of artifacts is transformed into a static and disorganized state with long-term stability. While the archaeologist must observe this final situation, his interest, is centered on the former, whose various aspects are only indicated indirectly and partially by the surviving material. If the vari- ous processes that have intervened between the two states can be identified and described, the researcher can begin to disentangle the evidence he has uncovered. In the present chapter, an attempt is made to identiff the several features common to any shipwreck, and the ways in which they can be assessed on any particular site. Just as the nature of a ship involves certain basic concepts that are common to all peri- ods and places, so the phenomenon of the shipwreck must involve certain regular fea- nres common to all instances. If these can be described, then their implications for any Sqnce: Maritime Archaeologt New York: Cambridge University Presg 1978. Copyrigttt 1978 by Cambridge University Press. Reprinted by permission of Cambridge University Press.