16th International Symposium on Boat & Ship Archaeology

50 16 th International Symposium on Boat & Ship Archaeology Tori Falck, Sven Ahrens, Sarah Fawsitt, Terje Planke, Christian Rodum, Lars Stålegård & Hilde Vangstad Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Reconstructions. Between facts and choices. Methods and results viewed from the late 16 th century Barcode 6 boat. One of the less obvious outcomes of the systematic usage of digital recording of archaeological ship-finds is the increased capacity for sharing and communicating the results. At the NorwegianMaritime Museum, this positive feature has become noticeable, increasing cooperation between different fields of expertise, e.g. ar- chaeologists, ethnologists, boat builders and technical conservators. Throughout the workflow, the data, accumulated during excavation and documentation, is processed differently by each specialist according their specific requirements. Within the limits of contract archaeology, the ability to build reconstruc- tions is normally beyond the scope of these projects. Being able to work with reconstructions has been rewarding on many levels and has added to our knowl- edge on both methodological issues, and not least on shipbuilding itself. In this paper we would like to present the making of three different recon- structions of the same vessel: the scale model, the floating hypothesis, and the exhibition of the reconstructed original material. Reconstructions produce differ- ent representations of the find. These representations, although based on the same material, will demonstrate deviations from each other. This paves the way for interesting discussions on both methodological and theoretical levels. Some choices are made based on objective facts, while others rest heavily on subjective interpretations or even unconscious notions. The example used in the discussion is a late 16 th century small cargo vessel, the Barcode 6. The boat was excavated in the harbour of Oslo in 2008, and its technical features will be presented. Focusing on the reconstructions we would like to investigate how and why discrepancies occur, and thereby also discuss pos- sible consequences both for the characteristics of the shape of the hull, sailing capabilities and cargo capacities. The discussion will work as a critical examination of the methods in use, as seen from the viewpoints of the archaeologist, the eth- nologist, and the boatbuilder.