La Belle : the archaeology of a seventeenth-century ship of New World colonization / edited by James E. Bruseth, Amy A. Borgens, Bradford M. Jones, and Eric D. Ray ; foreword by Patrica A. Mercado-Allinger.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction. background / James E. Bruseth -- Archival research / John de Bry -- Excavation inside a cofferdam / Layne Hedrick, Amy Mitchell-Cook, and James E. Bruseth -- Conservation / Donny L. Hamilton, Helen Dewolf, and Peter D. Fix -- PART II: Ship design, organiztion and hardware. Hull Analysis / Toni L. Carrell -- Capturing the curve: underlying concepts in the design of the hull / Taras Pevny -- Rigging / Catharine Inbody Corder -- Cordage / Jennifer R. McCaskill -- Modeling La Belle / Glenn Grieco -- La Belle's galley and shipboard diet / Eric D. Ray -- Stowage and packing containers / Brad Loewen -- Navigational and related instruments / Gregory D. Cook and Lois A. Swanick -- PART III: Arms. Artillery / Donald H. Keith -- Cannon carriage / Steven D. Hoyt -- Petards / Donald H. Keith and Eric D. Ray -- Firepots / Eric D. Ray and Julia Stryker -- Small arms / Amy A. Borgens and Jay C. Blaine -- Gunflints / Jeffrey J. Durst -- Iron and lead shot / Donald H. Keith -- Swords / Jeffrey J. Kampfl -- Polearms / Donald H. Keith -- PART IV: Trade goods. Glass beads / Timothy K. Perttula and Michael D. Glascock -- Iconographic ("Jesuit") and other rings / Robert A. Birmingham and Carol I. Mason -- Flushloop variety brass trade bells / John M. Connaway -- Straight pins / Bradford M. Jones -- Needles / Bradford M. Jones -- Trade axes and knives / Mark Feulner -- PART V: Domestic items. Ceramic containers / Kathleen K. Gilmore and Nancy G. Reese -- Glass bottles, associated pewter screw cap closures, and other non-bead glass artifacts / Maureen J. Brown, Nancy G. Reese, and Betty J. Inman -- Contents of Packing Box 10 / Michael C. West -- Domestic artifacts / Gregory A. Waselkov, Bonnie L. Gums, and Helen Dewolf -- Footwear assemblage / Anthony Randolph -- PART VI: Organic remains and specialized analyses. Human skeletal analysis / D. Gentry Steele and Michelle J. Raisor -- Facial reconstruction and DNA analysis of skeletal remains / C. Wayne Smith, Ellen M. Heath, D. Andrew Merriwether, and David Reed -- Faunal remains / Susan D. deFrance -- Plant remains / Philip Dering -- Textiles / Carolyn C. Carlson -- Pigments / Megan Mekoli, Eric D. Ray, and Cameron Sheya -- Organic contents from storage containers / David W. Von Endt, W. David Erhardt, Walter R. Hopwood, and Harry A. Alden -- PART VII: Comclusion. The archaeology of a seventeenth-century ship of New World colonization / James E. Bruseth, Bradford M. Jones, Amy A. Borgens, and Eric D. Ray -- Appendix 1. Ballast stone / James E. Bruseth -- Appendix 2. The anchor shank / Amy A. Borgens and Aaron Loy.

The complete technical and scientific report on one of the most important shipwrecks in North American history ... In 1995, Texas Historical Commission underwater archaeologists discovered the wreck of the La Salle's La Belle, remnant of an ill-fated French attempt to establish a colony at the mouth of the Mississippi River but landing instead along today's Matagorda Bay in Texas. For the next two years, the Commission uncovered the ship's remains under the direction of archaeologist James E. Bruseth and employing a team of archaeologists and volunteers. Amid the shallow waters of Matagorda Bay, a steel cofferdam was constructed around the site, creating one of the most complex nautical archaeological excavations ever attempted in North America and allowing the archaeologists to excavate the sunken wreck much as if it were located on dry land. The ship's hold was discovered full of everything the would-be colonists would need to establish themselves in the New World; more than 1.6 million artifacts were recovered from the site. More than two decades in the making due to the immensity of the find and the complexity of cataloging and conserving the artifacts, this book thoroughly documents one of the most significant North American archaeological discoveries of the twentieth century.

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