16th International Symposium on Boat & Ship Archaeology

93 Zadar, Croatia | 26 September – 1 October 2021 Geke Burger 1 & Rik Lettany 2 1 Institute for History, Faculty of Humanities, Leiden University, the Netherlands 2 Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, the Netherlands The Scheurrak SO1 shipwreck in the Maritime Cultural Landscape of the Early Modern Netherlands, 1550-1650 In 1984 a well-preserved merchantman dating back to the late 16 th century was discovered off the coast of Texel (the Netherlands). During subsequent excava- tions, over 3000 finds were recovered. A cargo of grain links the ship to the Baltic grain trade. Construction features indicate that the ship was built ‘Dutch Flush’. Many aspects of the site were studied over the past 25 years, yet a holistic and in- terdisciplinary interpretation is still absent. The University of Leiden was assigned by the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands to conduct a combined ar- chaeological and historical research to fill this hiatus. The project comprises two doctoral studies (both 2020-2024). A first study, titled “Innovative in a conservative sector: ‘Dutch Flush’ in a European perspec- tive, 1550-1650”, will focus on the ship’s construction. By comparing Scheurrak SO1’s construction in both a European contemporary and regional diachronic per- spective, it aims to further determine characteristics of Dutch shipbuilding in a period of technological transition. By elaborating these findings within the larger context of the ‘maritime cultural landscape’, this research intends to understand why the Dutch were able to become highly successful shipbuilders with a rather conservative shipbuilding technique. A second study, titled ‘The Material Culture and the Dutch Baltic trade, 1550-1650’, is embedded in the historical discipline and studies the objects found at the wreck site as a reflection of the Dutch early modern society during the era of the Baltic trade. Besides, this research aims to place the ship in a broader his- torical context and its maritime cultural landscape. In order to achieve this, the study of the archaeological finds is combined with thorough archival and litera- ture research. The output will be a comprehensive historical study on the Scheur- rak SO1 shipwreck on the interface between maritime history and archaeology.