INSTITUTE OF NAUTICAL ARCHAEOLOGY - Bodrum, Turkey |
| MOMBASA |
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The Mombasa Wreck Excavation The Santo Antonio de Tanna |
by Alison Darroch and Robin Piercy
At the time of the sinking of the frigate the "Santo Antonio de Tanna" in 1697, the Portuguese were struggling to maintain control of their few remaining factories (settlements) in the Indian Ocean, and the vital sea routes linking them with each other and with Portugal. The glory of the Portuguese discoveries and conquests of the 16th century had given way to a situation in which the Portuguese presence in the Indian Ocean was threatened by the Dutch, Arabs and the English. Whilst the British and Dutch were successfully encroaching on the Portuguese trading monopoly, the Omani Arabs were rebelling against a century of Portuguese exploitation and oppression. In 1696 this rebellion came to a head when an Arab force sailed into the southern harbor at Mombasa and laid siege to Fort Jesus, an important Portuguese stronghold.
As news of the siege filtered through to the Portuguese administration in Goa late in 1696, a fleet consisting of two frigates and two galliots was sent to the relief of Fort Jesus. The fleet was under the command of General Luis de Mello Sampaio, aboard the frigate "Santo Antonio de Tanna". The subsequent loss of the "Santo Antonio de Tanna" and the final fall of Fort Jesus in 1698 presented a serious blow to the already strained circumstances of the Portuguese. Two contemporary reports were written about these events.
The excavation of the "Santo Antonio de Tanna" was carried out between 1977 and 1979 under the auspices of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology and the National Museums of Kenya. Diving operations were carried out from a barge moored over the wrecksite (picture on the right). Personnel for the excavation operations came from all over the world, and thousands of hours were spent underwater during the three seasons of the excavation. Moreover, two study seasons were spent in Mombasa for the purpose of cataloguing, and continuing conservation of the artifacts.
Scholarly, and even general, knowledge of late 17th century East Indian Portuguese seafaring, trade, ship-construction technology and material assemblages is limited. This excavation, being the only one of a Portuguese wreck of this period to have been carried out under rigorous archaeological standards, has enabled researchers to place the previously mentioned contemporary histories into a material context. These written histories of the relief fleet reveal that the relief of Mombasa was a low priority with some of the commanding personnel. Excavation results reflect this and show that trade goods were being carried -since there was a significant number of hardwood logs on board that can only be accounted for as trade items.
The indigence of the Portuguese at this time is also reflected in the artifact assemblage. A study of the ordenance has shown that this was lighter and more limited than one would have expected for a vessel of her size and purpose. Many other insights into the condition of the 17th century Portuguese empire have been derived from this excavation. The final report of the excavation and associated research is being prepared at this time. Further information about this project can be obtained from the references below.
PUBLICATIONS
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- Kirkman, James, 1972, A Portuguese Wreck off Mombasa. IJNA 1: 153-57
- Piercy, R.C.M., 1977, Mombasa wreck excavation, Preliminary report, 1977. IJNA 6: 331-347.
- Piercy, R.C.M., 1978, Mombasa wreck excavation, Second preliminary report, 1978. IJNA 7: 301-319.
- Piercy, R.C.M., 1979, Mombasa wreck excavation, Third preliminary report, 1979. IJNA 4: 303-309.
- Piercy, R.C.M., 1981, Mombasa wreck excavation, Fourth preliminary report, 1980. IJNA 10: 109-118.
- Piercy, R.C.M., 1982, Excavation of a shipwreck in Mombasa Harbor, Kenya. National Geographic Society Research Reports, 1976 Projects: 17-30.
- Sassoon, H., 1981, Ceramics from the Wreck of a Portuguese Ship at Mombasa. Azania 16: 98-130. 1991,
- The Mombasa Wreck Excavation. INA Newsletter, 18.2 (This whole edition of the newsletter is devoted to the MWE.)
Popular articles include:
- Piercy, R.C.M., 1976, The Mombasa Shipwreck. AINA Newsletter, 3.3
- Piercy, R.C.M., 1978, The 1978 season at Mombasa. AINA Newsletter, 5.4
- Piercy, R.C.M., 1983, The Mombasa Wreck Excavation in "Museums and the Underwater Heritage" Museum (Quarterly Review published by UNESCO) 137:27-29
- Piercy, R.C.M.; Darroch, A.C.; Bass, G.F., 1992, The Wreck of the Santo Antonio de Tanna. Archaeology
- Sassoon, H., 1977, Mombasa Wreck Excavation - Newsletter (Mombasa)
- Sassoon, H., 1978, Mombasa Wreck Excavation, Second Interim Report (Mombasa)
- Sassoon, H., 1979, Mombasa Wreck Excavation, Third Interim Report (Mombasa)
- Sassoon, H., 1980, Mombasa Wreck Excavation, Fourth Interim Report (Mombasa)
