4/6/22 Report - Mid-Sixteenth Century Spanish Sites and Artifacts of Greater Florida: A Study. Roman Sword Found Near Oak Island.

 

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.

I found a good article: Interpreting Spanish Artifact Assemblages in the Mid-Sixteenth-Century Southeast:The View from the 1559-1561 Tristán de Luna Settlement on Pensacola Bay by John E. Worth of the University of West Florida.

Here is the abstract.

Sixteenth-century Spanish artifacts are uncommon but widespread finds in the Southeastern United States, and documented assemblages have been variously used by archaeologists either as secondary indicators of the presence of passing Spanish explorers, or also as evidence of director indirect Spanish trade. The vast majority of such artifacts are found as grave goods within Native American villages or burial sites, apart from a handful of well-documented Spanish colonial settlements and encampments. Archaeological investigations at the recently-discovered1559-1561 Tristán de Luna settlement provide a remarkable opportunity to examine a substantial though short-lived residential Spanish assemblage dating to this same era.

Below is a cool map showing Spanish and French settlements and forts of Greater Floria in the century.

Most of those sites are evidenced by artifacts that have been studied.  Notice the Treasure Coast site, which is one that I recently mentioned.  

These are obviously early sites that will often produce diagnostic artifacts from the period.  While a previous study that I mentioned focused on artifacts that were indicative of early 16th century sites, this study looks at the difference in the type of artifacts from residential versus shorter-term or pass-through sites.

Here is another interesting paragraph.

Relatively extensive documentation for gifts brought and distributed on early expeditions or traded and gifted during the early mission period in Florida provides a clear picture of the normal items provided by Spaniards and consumed by Native Americans. The most frequent items documented in detailed and voluminous accounting records over the course of two decades (1595-1616) in the early Florida mission period included strings of glass beads, sleigh bells, buttons, fixed-blade knives, iron axes and hoes, and woven blankets, along with a large and diverse range of raw cloth, thread, and finished clothing items including hats and shoes, sometimes far more expensive than other items distributed (Redondo Villegas 1602a-c;Sotomayor 1616; Worth 1998:126-143). To this can be added a range of other items that were given out much less frequently, including mirrors, scissors, adzes, and raw iron and lead...

This study has some interesting charts as well as a lengthy bibliography that you might find helpful.

Here is the link.

(99+) Interpreting Spanish Artifact Assemblages in the Mid-Sixteenth-Century Southeast: The View from the 1559-1561 Tristán de Luna Settlement on Pensacola Bay | John Worth - Academia.edu

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Sword Found On Shipwreck Off Oak Island

... A Roman ceremonial sword off Oak Island, located on the south shore of Nova Scotia, Canada, radically suggesting that ancient mariners visited North America more than a thousand years before Columbus. While the announcement was largely met with surprise and excitement, many have also questioned the authenticity of the artifact. Here we explore the origins of the mysterious Roman sword...

This isn't a new discovery. The sword was found over fifteen years ago. And not by any of the current searchers.

The Roman sword found off Oak Island is believed to be part of a rare set of votive swords. Four similar swords having been recovered and verified, now in private collections and museums, including the Museum of Naples, Italy, which issued cast iron replicas of the sword. Many replicas of these rare swords can now be found on websites such as eBay and Amazon...

I saw last night that they are now searching for shipwrecks around the island. I showed a map a few years ago showing how many shipwrecks are in the area.

Surprising to me is how little they have actually found on the island, despite all the time and effort put into the search.

The sword, like so many other things these days, is of questionable authenticity.

Here is the link for more about the sword and shipwreck.

Unraveling the Origins of the Roman Sword Discovered Off Oak Island | Ancient Origins (ancient-origins.net)

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The main thing on my mind this morning is the idea that there are things to be found everywhere.  Some places have more things and some places have more valuable things, but you can find things almost anywhere.  

There is no big change in the surf predictions.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net