Archaeological Remains Accounting for the Presence and Exploitation of the North Atlantic Right Whale Eubalaena glacialis on the Portuguese Coast (Peniche, West Iberia), 16th to 17th Century (original) (raw)
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Medieval and early modern whaling in Portugal
Mainland Portugal is not renowned for having been a whaling nation of significance. However, preliminary studies have brought to light enough historical references to suggest that whaling occurred from at least the 13th century, and the present work identifies 38 historical sources documenting whale use or whaling on the Portuguese coast between 1201 and 1728. A peak of whale-related sources occurred during the 13th and 14th centuries, and almost all Portuguese accounts are contemporary to those found from the French and Spanish Basque countries, such that the beginning of the whaling activity seems to be coeval. No geographical cluster of whaling activities can be established-they seem to have been unevenly scattered along the entire coastline. Nor can a chronological north-south movement of coastal whaling activities be discerned. The geographical and chronological patterns give support to the assumption that whaling was not introduced to Portugal by the Basques, who are known to have spread westward from the French Labourd (11th century), via Golf of Biscay, to Asturias, and southward to Galicia (14th century). Rather, Portuguese whale use seems to have originated independently of Basque influence. Several of the sources specify "black whales" as the target species. This is consistent with modern knowledge about the distribution and migration patterns of North Atlantic right whales during Basque medieval and early modern whaling. The Portuguese sources are not clear as to numbers of whales taken, nor to the whaling technology used, but the activity was sufficiently well organized and developed to warrant the levying of tithes in the feudal system of 13th-century Portugal.
Portugal, together with the Basque Country, was an important whaling location where a whale culture developed since the Middle Age. Whaling and the ways of using stranded whales spread with the Portuguese expansion in the South Atlantic in the 15 th century. In fact, organized whaling and development of related techniques did follow the Portuguese and Spanish expansion in the Atlantic. In the medieval and early modern Portugal, whaling had been an important economic activity. Nevertheless, reliable information for the period roughly spanning from the 13 th to the 18 th centuries is still scarce. Based on historical descriptions our investigation addresses the information available about the techniques used, the species exploited and the transfer of an activity across different Atlantic regions. In the 15 th and 16 th centuries whale use migrated from the Portuguese shores in Iberia to the Atlantic Islands (Azores, Madeira, Cape Verde) and to the new overseas territories, particularly to Brazil. Whalers did use small open boats and hand harpoons to reach and kill the whales. The Basque shore-based model was imported by several Atlantic regions but with significant impact on Brazilian coasts. This is relevant in a context of globalization of techniques and ways of handling whales and their products. Once the activity became established in Brazil, in the early 17 th century, the Iberian Crowns started a shore whaling business and a Basque crew was hired for the first seasons. So, the beginning of whaling in these new regions was mostly supported upon Basque expertise. For the next couple of centuries, a structured shore based whaling enterprise developed in the coastal waters of Brazil, mainly
Ancient Whale exploitation in the Mediterranean: the archaeological record
Whales have been exploited for millennia by human societies all over the world. Stranded whales provided meat, oil, bones and other products that were promptly used by those lucky enough to find them. But natural strandings are too occasional to be relied upon, and in many parts of the world communities developed a range of methods to bring whales actively onshore. Given the long occupation of the Mediterranean region, the near absence of evidence for whale use in the region is puzzling. The following two papers explore the possibility that whale exploitation in the Mediterranean was more important than is generally recognised by historians, archaeologists and ecologists alike.
How did ancient communities around the Mediterranean exploit the presence of whales in their seas? Given that the whales currently present in the region are seldom found near the coast, it seems probable that ancient whale exploitation would have been restricted to stranded animals. The authors explore, however, the possibility that additional species migrated seasonally through the Strait of Gibraltar to visit coastal calving grounds, which could have supported an organised whaling industry. Classical literature provides a number of descriptions suggestive of coastal encounters with whales. New methods of whale bone identification will shed light on which species were previously present in the Mediterranean and thus on the probability of ancient whaling. This article is one of two on ancient whaling in the current issue, and should be read in conjunction with that by Darío Bernal-Casasola and colleagues.
The Environmental History of Cetaceans in Portugal: Ten Centuries of Whale and Dolphin Records
The history between cetaceans and humans is documented throughout time not only in reports, descriptions, and tales but also in legal documents, laws and regulations, and tithes. This wealth of information comes from the easy spotting and identification of individuals due to their large size, surface breathing, and conspicuous above water behaviour. This work is based on historical sources and accounts accounting for cetacean presence for the period between the 12th and 17th centuries, as well as scientific articles, newspapers, illustrations, maps, non-published scientific reports, and other grey literature from the 18th century onwards.
A total of 167 plates of two whale barnacle species (Tubicinella majorLamarck, 1802 and Cetopirus complanatus (Mörch, 1853)) have been found in the Upper Magdalenian layers of Nerja Cave, Mina Chamber (Maro, Málaga, southern Spain). This is the first occurrence of these species in a prehistoric site. Both species are specific to the southern right whale Eubalena australis, today endemic in the Southern Hemisphere. Because of Antarctic sea-ice expansion during the Last Glacial Period, these whales could have migrated to the Northern Hemisphere, and reached southern Spain. Whale barnacles indicate that maritime-oriented forager human groups found stranded whales on the coast and, because of the size and weight of the large bones, transported only certain pieces (skin, blubber and meat) to the caves where they were consumed.
Environmental Archaeology, 2020
Medieval historical sources suggest that cetacean exploitation was, for large parts of Europe, restricted to the social elite. This appears to have also been the case for the Netherlands and Flanders. It remains unclear, however, how frequently active hunting was undertaken, and which species were targeted. Zooarchaeological cetacean remains are often recovered from Medieval (AD 400-1600) sites in the Netherlands and Flanders, however the majority of these specimens have not been identified to the species level, leaving a substantial gap in our knowledge of past cetacean exploitation. By applying ZooMS, as well as morphological and osteometric analyses, these zooarchaeological specimens were identified to the species level. This analysis revealed that the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis), sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), and grey whale (Eschrichtius robustus) were frequently exploited. Active whaling appears to have been undertaken as well, especially in Flanders and in Frisia (the northern part of the Netherlands). Zooarchaeological cetacean remains appear to be present with relative frequency at high-status sites such as castles, as well as ecclesiastical sites, confirming the historical evidence that the social elite indeed did have a taste for cetacean meat. However, cetacean products were also available outside of elite and ecclesiastical contexts.
Whales have been exploited for millennia by human societies all over the world. Stranded whales provided meat, oil, bones and other products that were promptly used by those lucky enough to find them. But natural strandings are too occasional to be relied upon, and in many parts of the world communities developed a range of methods to bring whales actively onshore. Given the long occupation of the Mediterranean region, the near absence of evidence for whale use in the region is puzzling. The following two papers explore the possibility that whale exploitation in the Mediterranean was more important than is generally recognised by historians, archaeologists and ecologists alike.