The Basques Flashcards
Where did the Basques live?
an area in northern Spain and southwestern France called the Bay of Biscay
What made the Bay of Biscay economically prosperous?
successful fisheries
What sort of economy did the Basques have, and why?
whaling since the 13th century, the Basques were leaders in fishing and shipbuilding, possibly because their land was poorly-suited for agriculture
What are the earliest historical records referring to the Basques?
13th-century documents describing whale oil purchased from the region
How long did the Basques operate out of the Bay of Biscay?
till the 16th century
When did the Basques come to North America?
as early as the late 15th century, but surely by the early 16th century
Why did Selma Barkham peruse the Basque archives?
to establish a connection to her native country, Canada
What did Barkham discover in the Basque archives?
evidence of a 16th-century whaling ship that journeyed on the coast of Labrador called the San Juan
What did Parks Canada uncover thanks to Barkham’s research?
many Basque sites on shore and underwater, including the wreck of the San Juan
What time of year did the Basques occupy Canada, and why?
they summered in the region, fishing and hunting whales, and returned to their homes for the winter
What was Barkham’s primary focus in the Red Bay?
the San Juan, which sank in November 1565
What remained on the San Juan after the wreck?
all the barrels of whale oil, some of which were recovered later
What led archaeologists to believe that the San Juan sunk in shallow water?
most of the cargo was salvaged
What allowed archaeologists to estimate the San Juan’s location?
comparing the wreck of the San Juan to that of the Bernier, a ship which sank in the 1960s
When did archaeologists find the timbers of the San Juan, and what made excavations difficult?
- 1970s
- water temperatures ranged from 28-37 degrees fahrenheit
How long were archaeologists able to explore the wreck of the San Juan in a single dive, and what did they do to fix this issue?
- no more than 30 minutes at a time
- they pumped hot water into their suits from the ship
What was the primary goal of archaeologists investigating the shipwreck in Red Bay?
determining whether or not the ship was Basque in origin
What findings from the Red Bay wreck pointed to Basque origins?
cask remains with oily residue and roof tiles
How large were the grid squares controlling provenience in Red Bay?
2x2 meters
Why is provenience control so important?
excavation is destruction
What was the role of stratigraphy at the Red Bay site?
stratigraphy is not according to a timeline, but a record of everything on board
What is a dredge, and how did it aid the archaeologists in Red Bay?
acts as an underwater vacuum, clearing sediment from the shipwreck
How did the Red Bay archaeologists take notes underwater?
mylar clipboards
What is the difference between keel and frame timbers?
- keel: long
- frames: across
What techniques did archaeologists utilize at Red Bay?
dendrochronology and stratigraphy
How did archaeologists perform dendrochronology at Red Bay?
a pneumatic drill powered by a scuba tank
What mark did the sailors of the San Juan leave on the ship?
graffiti
How did archaeologists get to subsequent levels of the San Juan?
they cut through the planking
What remnants of the Basques’ trade did the Red Bay wreck include? (3)
- whale bones
- an astrolabe
- Iberian ceramics
How did the archaeologists at Red Bay handle the timbers of the shipwreck?
the team recorded the location of the timbers, disassembled and removed them, documenting the fastening patterns and cleaning/examining them
What did the archaeologists at Red Bay ultimately do with the timbers of the shipwreck?
after documenting the location, patterns, and markings of the timbers, they were returned to the wreck
