Museum Metadata Exchange

Names

Name PrimaryVOC ship Zuytdorp (Zuiddorp)

IDs

ID LocalWAM 35

ID Urihttp://www.museum.wa.gov.au/maritime-archaeology-db/wrecks/zuiddorp-zuytdorp

Descriptions

Brief DescriptionThis collection contains artefacts from the wreck of the VOC ship Zuytdorp (Zuiddorp)lost in 1712. Artefacts include silver, lead ingots, a cannon with a British Broad arrow inscribed on its upper surface, a very large bower anchor, a ship's bell (fragments), ceramics, pewter plate, personal accoutrements and an intact, very ornate drinking glass.

Full DescriptionThe Dutch East India Company (VOC) ship Zuytdorp (Zuiddorp) disappeared in the winter of 1712 en route Batavia (now Jakarta, Indonesia) with 286 people on board, a general cargo and a special mint of 1711 silver coins. Found in 1927 on the mid west coast of Western Australia mid between Tamala and Murchison House Stations by a European-Aboriginal family group, the site was not identified until 1954. In 1969 the Western Australian Museum became responsible for the site and commenced the recovery of the silver bullion, though much of the deposit was looted. Significant materials recovered include silver, lead ingots, a cannon with a British Broad arrow inscribed on its upper surface, a very large bower anchor, a ship's bell (fragments), ceramics, pewter plate, personal accoutrements and an intact, very ornate drinking glass. Initially focusing on the wreck itself, subsequent interdisciplinary archaeological and scientific programs examined survivor's camps, the possible movement of survivors away from the wreck site and evidence of interaction or intermingling with Indigenous people. This focused on the archaeological deposits and utilized geneticists and other transfer of genes specialists. Finds from this phase include a tobacco box lid from Wale Well, a major Aboriginal encampment to the north towards Shark Bay. While evidence for Dutch-Indigenous interactions at this site remain inconclusive, this study was a catalyst for the Museum's 'Strangers-on-the-Shore' program and database examining the interaction between shipwreck survivors and the local inhabitants.

Subjects

scotAboriginal peoples; Cultural interaction; Marine archaeology; Maritime history; Ships; Shipwrecks; Survival; Water transport

aptAboriginal peoples (Australians); Shipwreck artefacts; Shipwreck survivors; Shipwrecks; Vessels (watercraft)

localBullion; Maritime archaeology; Shipwreck survivor-Indigenous interaction; VOC; Zuytdorp

person_orgDutch East India Company (VOC)

pontShips; Watercraft

Coverage Spatial

TextBatavia (Jakarta, Indonesia); Western Australia; mid west coast of Western Australia between Tamala and Murchison House Stations; Wale Well

Coverage Temporal

From1712

To1712

Related Collections

Dates

Date Record Updated2012-05-30 23:42

Date Created in MME2011-03-31 00:17