Jemison R. Beshears

THE MONTE CRISTI PIPEWRECK: AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE HULL REMAINS OF A SEVENTEENTH CENTURY MERCHANT VESSEL AT MONTE CRISTI, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.

(Under the direction of Dr. Timothy J. Runyan) Department of History, East Carolina Unversity, November 2001.

The purpose of this thesis is to document the findings of archaeological fieldwork conducted on the hull remains and contents of a small, mid-seventeenth century European merchant ship located on the north coast of the Dominican Republic at Monte Cristi Bay. Since 1991, the Pan-American Institute of Maritime Archaeology has conducted field investigations at the Monte Cristi site for the cultural ministry of the Dominican Republic. The ongoing project was funded by Earthwatch International and public and private grants. Research teams consisted of graduate students, government representatives, and volunteers. Archaeologists installed a grid system on the wreck, mapped the site, and documented the excavation of hundreds of cultural artifacts over a five-year period. The results of this study will contribute to the available data on seventeenth century trade in the Caribbean and ships that carried the cargoes.