Archaeologist Louwrens Hacquebord has spent the past two weeks traveling with a super-fast Royal Navy patrol vessel to the Norwegian island of Jan Mayen. Here he discovered new traces of Dutch whalers from the seventeenth century. Having just returned to Den Helder, he talks to Kennislink about his finds.
How did the trip go? “That went very smoothly. The weather was good and the patrol ship is very fast. We were there in three days, while whalers in the 17th century took weeks. Once arrived everyone quickly went their own way. We only had five days to do research and to save time, we spent two nights on the island.”
What did you research? “Some archaeological sites on the north and south side of the island. I had done archaeological research several times in Kvalrossbukta ("Walrus Bay"), on the north side of the island. But two years ago I got a message from the Norwegians that a huge storm had wreaked havoc. I wanted to know what was left of the archaeological remains.”
“It was not easy once we got here. Many archaeological remains had been washed away by the waves. We quickly carried out an emergency excavation and found new finds:remains of tobacco pipes and drinking jars. Pottery had been found before, but not these distinctive remains of whalers and sailors. The material culture of a community of seamen is simply different from that of families in the city. We expected here not only whale bones and remains from slaughterhouses, but also remnants of the men's leisure activities:drinking and smoking. Now that this has actually surfaced, the image of the seamen community on Jan Mayen is complete.”
Have you made any new discoveries? “Yes, two archaeological sites in the southern bays. Archive research, including travel journals, had already shown that the Dutch whalers also had land stations in the south, but these had not been discovered before. Out of the five days, we only had two days left, so we had to act quickly. Green locations indicate offal from whalers. The phosphate that ended up in the soil is a rich source of nutrients for plants. We soon found whale bones in two green locations and once we got to work, we also discovered structures of houses and found remnants of brick. But unfortunately we couldn't do more in that short time, so further research is very welcome.”
Jan Mayen
Jan Mayen is an island named after the Amsterdam whaler Jan Jacobsz May van Schellinckhout. He is said to have discovered the volcanic island in 1614, although he was not the only one to mention this island that year. The island is located 600 kilometers north of Iceland and 500 kilometers east of Greenland. The remote island is about 375 km 2 large and 2277m high, because of the still active volcano Beerenberg.
The island was taken into use by Dutch whalers in 1615. In the summer about 200 to 250 men worked here. The captured whales were towed ashore at various locations, the land stations, and cut to pieces on the spot and processed into whale oil, among other things. Tear was a highly sought-after commodity in the Golden Age and was used as an ingredient for candles, soap, lamp oil and lubricants. Due to this intensive hunting, the whales started to avoid the bay and swam towards Spitsbergen. After 1640 the whalers left Jan Mayen, chasing the whales.
Navy enables research in inhospitable areas
Hacquebord wasn't the only scientist to travel with the Zr. Ms. Zealand. Once arrived, the crew of the Zeeland put researchers from all kinds of disciplines ashore using special rubber boats. This allowed the scientists to reach and investigate previously unexplored sites. For Hacquebord this meant archaeological research on the south side of the island. In addition, biologists counted birds and scientists from Naturalis collected mosses to study the changes in the local flora and fauna.
It was the first time that the Royal Netherlands Navy collaborated with science in this way, but hopefully not the last. Hacquebord:“The trip has been a unique opportunity for everyone to collect their data and practice the navy dropping people off rugged coasts with dinghies. A real win-win situation. I think everyone liked it and definitely worth repeating.”
Remembrance stone for wintering people restored
In the north bay of Jan Mayen was a 'fort' (a platform on which two cannons stood) to protect the island against enemies. For example, the whalers had already been attacked several times by the Basques, on a robbery for whale oil. In winter 1633-1634, seven men had to stay behind to protect the island. On approaching ships they would raise the flags and fire the cannons to make it appear as if the 'fort' was well manned. That whole winter, however, there was no Basque in sight. The last entry in the diary of the hibernators dates from April 1634. A month later the new summer crew arrived and found the men dead.
In 1930 a memorial stone was placed for this with the text:"Outgert Jacobsz van Grootebroek and his six Dutch comrades succumbed here in April 1634 during an attempt to hibernate." During this archaeological expedition, the stone was restored (the letters were no longer legible due to erosion) and placed more inland:near the graves of the winter visitors. The graves are located under a hill on which the Norwegians placed a wooden cross after 1945 with the text:"Here fell brave Dutch men." The memorial stone has been unveiled again in the presence of the naval personnel.