Hello All
 
I am working on a long-term project investigating the archaeology of
shipwreck survivor camps and am posting this in the hope of getting
assistance or advice on several areas.
 
The focus of my research is sites associated with the 17th/18th century
wrecks of four VOC (Dutch East India Company) vessels along the Western
Australian coast, two for which there are historical records of survivor
activities (Batavia 1629 and Zeewyck 1727) and two for which there is only
fragmentary archaeological evidence (because the survivors were never
found) (Vergulde Draek 1655 and Zuytdorp 1712).
 
Aside from the specifics of these four sites, I am trying to work out a
broader  model of post-wreck survivor behaviour (inclusive of the
reconstruction of shipboard authority, social organisation on land, common
themes of salvage, subsistence or other activities, and tying this into
some of the well established literature from disaster studies,
post-traumatic stress, etc.   Much of this will be based in historical
research of accounts by survivors, although naturally I also want to look
at archaeological patterning with site location, organisation, position
relative to wreck, evidence of subsistence and salvage and so on.  The
basic idea is possible interpretation of the Dutch sites I am working on,
although it will undoubtedly have broader application.  The working project
title is "The Archaeology of Crisis..." (something to catch the eye of
funding bodies).
 
I would be grateful for any information on archaeological reports or
projects dealing with shipwreck survivor camps, good historical accounts of
these sorts of events, relevant behavioural or crisis studies (very few, or
in fact none that I have seen specifically deal with shipwrecks), or in
fact any feedback at all. I am interested in sites from any time period and
geographical location.
 
I would be very grateful for anything you have to offer.  If you do not
wish to post on the list, my e-mail is as follows  <[log in to unmask]>
 
Thanks
 
Martin Gibbs
 
 
 
Dr Martin Gibbs
School of Anthropology & Archaeology
James Cook University
Townsville 4811
Queensland, Australia
 
ph: (077) 81 4759
fax:(077) 81 4045