16th International Symposium on Boat & Ship Archaeology

45 Zadar, Croatia | 26 September – 1 October 2021 Marta Domínguez-Delmás 1 , Sara Rich 2 & Nigel Nayling 3 1 University of Amsterdam, Department of History of Art, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; DendroResearch, Wageningen, the Netherlands 2 Coastal Carolina University, Department of Honors and Interdisciplinary Studies, Conway, South Carolina, USA 3 University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Lampeter Campus, Department of Archaeology, Ceredigion, UK Dendroarchaeology of shipwrecks in the Iberian Peninsula: 10 years of research and advances In the Iberian Peninsula, tree-ring research on shipwrecks started in the 2000s by the authors with the aim to gain knowledge about timber supply (selection of trees and species for particular elements in the ship; use of local vs. imported tim- ber) and the evolution of shipbuilding along the Iberian-Atlantic coast during the Early Modern Period. Here we compile the results and observations gathered in the period 2009-2019 through dendrochronological analysis on 25 shipwreck as- semblages found in the Iberian Peninsula and elsewhere, predominantly thought to belong to Iberian-built/commissioned ships. Only three of these shipwrecks correspond to ships identified a priori ( Triunfante , Magdalena , and Bayonnaise – the latter a French-built ship), providing a known ship history, including date and location of construction. The rest (Barceloneta I, Ribadeo, San Sebastián, Ma- tagrana, Mortella III, Punta Restelos, Arade I, Ria de Aveiro F and G, Barreiros, Belinho, Delta I, II and III, Cee I and II, Yarmouth Roads, Newport, Emmanuel Point II and III, Highbourne Cay and San Esteban) have relative dates ranging from the 15 th to the 18 th centuries based on historical information, construction features and/or archaeological context. Combined archaeological, historical and dendro- chronological research has led to the identification of four wrecks as ships built in Italian shipyards, allowing inferences to be made about their supply. Our results demonstrate an almost-exclusive use of deciduous oak ( Quercus subg. Quercus ) in hull and framing elements until the mid-18 th century, and suggest a transition from differentiated selection of trees based on growth rates in the 15 th century associated with traditional woodworking techniques towards an indifferent selec- tion of growth rates in subsequent centuries due to availability of raw materials and technological advances. Reflections about key lessons learned are presented, and this diachronic selection of trees is discussed in the context of shipbuilding and seafaring in the Early Modern Period.