In 1606, a Portuguese ship, Nossa Senhora dos Mártires, put into 
Lisbon laden with peppercorns, porcelain, and other products from 
Cochin. A large vessel for the time, the merchantman displaced 
twelve hundred tons and carried three to four masts. The ship 
foundered during a storm in a northern channel of the Tagus River. 
Within hours the currents and the storm had torn it asunder and 
spread its precious cargo along the shores of the estuary.

    The Pepper Wreck tells the story of the ship's excavation by
crews working in cold water and fast currents between 1997 and 
2000.

    Author Filipe Vieira de Castro discusses the nautical history of 
Iberia, with special attention to shipbuilding and the development of 
the nau, a type of round ship used by the Portuguese on routes to 
the East. He also considers life aboard the ships, describing a 
typical menu, musing on the incidence of disease, and distinguishing 
the privileges of the different social classes.

    Turning to the excavation of the ship, Castro describes the site, the 
shifting laws governing archaeology in the region, and the fast currents 
that limited divers to working during ebb tides. The objects found with
the wreck, from pottery to astrolabes, contribute substantially to 
knowledge of early modern shipbuilding techniques.

    Valuable to historians of seafaring and of Iberia and to those 
interested in Portuguese trade with the East Indies, this carefully 
wrought and generously illustrated volume is a veritable treasure 
trove for archaeologists.

_________________________________________________________

FILIPE VIEIRA DE CASTRO is an assistant professor of nautical 
archaeology at Texas A&M University in College Station. Before 
studying nautical archaeology, he worked as a civil engineer and as 
a manager. His published works include discussions of the Tantura F 
and Pepper wrecks and on the history of Portuguese Indiamen.


Ed Rachal Foundation Nautical Archaeology Series


What people are saying about this book

"Castro, as nautical archaeologist, has analyzed and interpreted 
with great accuracy, singular caution, and perfect methodology the 
archaeological remains to reconstruct the architectural history of 
an Indiaman nau. The Pepper Wreck marks a new step in post 
medieval nautical archaeology. In the future, it will be impossible 
to study an Iberian wreck of this period without reference to this 
book."—Dr. Eric Rieth, Directeur de recherche, Centre National 
de la Recherche Scientifique Chef du Département d'archéologie 
navale, musée national de la Marine

"This book is a good example of the ways in which thorough 
research and ingenuity can be combined to glean a wealth of 
information from limited wreck survival. Filipe Castro has provided 
extensive information about the Pepper Wreck's hull design and 
construction. However, he also has presented an overall view of 
period Iberian ship design and construction, seafaring, social and 
economic insights, and much, much more."—J. Richard Steffy

"The author has painted a fascinating picture of the earliest 
European voyages to the Far East, detailing the society and 
economics of the Portuguese seafarers who risked everything for 
the profits to be made from successful round trips."—George F. 
Bass, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Texas A&M University