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Bolt Heads and Weights
These photos were taken during the late summer
and fall of 1997
as the excavation team continued ...
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Two small cuprous objects were recovered from sediments
outside the starboard bow of the ship. They are believed to be small apothecary
weights used in the measurement of medicines. One is rectangular with
faceted sides and has a marking similar to a fleur-de-lis stamped over
a second marking resembling a starburst or dancing figure. This piece
weighs 1.70 grams. |
The second object is six-sided and incorporates a cross
surrounded by
a looped circle and a rope-like circle. A small rampant lion is also
present in the bottom right-hand quadrant. The bottom left quadrant
contains a fleur-de-lis. Below the cross is an unidentified digit
that may be a weight denomination. This piece weighs 2.18 grams. An
identical weight was found Mary Rose, Henry VIII's
flagship, which sank off Plymouth, England in 1545. It was one of
four weights found with a balance scale in a small wooden box.
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Three copper crossbow bolt heads were found in the bow
of the ship. Fashioned from sheet copper, rolled around a mandrel and brought
to a point which is quadrilateral in cross-section. Crossbow bolt, or quarrel,
heads found in the southeastern United States usually have been fashioned
of wrought iron. Similar copper bolt heads, although smaller, recently
have been found in Texas and are thought to have been associated with the
expedition of Vasquez de Coronado (1540-1542). During the final weeks of
excavation, a fourth bolt head similar to the first three was found. |
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