Archaeological Remains Accounting for the Presence and Exploitation of the North Atlantic Right Whale Eubalaena glacialis on the Portuguese Coast (Peniche, West Iberia), 16th to 17th Century

António Teixeira,Cristina Brito,Rui Venâncio,Michael D Petraglia

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0085971

Abstract

The former occurrence of the North Atlantic right whale Eubalaena glacialis on the Portuguese coast may be inferred from the historical range of that species in Europe and in NW Africa. It is generally accepted that it was the main prey of coastal whaling in the Middle Ages and in the pre-modern period, but this assumption still needs firming up based on biological and archaeological evidence. We describe the skeletal remains of right whales excavated at Peniche in 2001–2002, in association with archaeological artefacts. The whale bones were covered by sandy sediments on the old seashore and they have been tentatively dated around the 16th to 17th centuries. This study contributes material evidence to the former occurrence of E. glacialis in Portugal (West Iberia). Some whale bones show unequivocal man-made scars. These are associated to wounds from instruments with a sharp-cutting blade. This evidence for past human interaction may suggest that whaling for that species was active at Peniche around the early 17th century.

Highlights

In sharp contrast to its current status of endangered species [1] the North Atlantic right whale Eubalaena glacialis was a comparatively well-known cetacean in the marine fauna of Medieval Europe
Such a concentration of so many pottery fragments in a comparatively small area on the old beachfront may suggest a shipwreck context. This is empathized by almost no traces of marine fauna on the pottery items recovered, suggesting their quick inclusion in the sediment. This would be explained by the simultaneous loss of cargo transported in one or more ships using the seaport at Peniche, or trying to make a safe passage to the ancient port of Atouguia upstream
Whale bones were excavated at Peniche in 2001–2002 and the archaeological context suggests their dating around the late 16th to early 17th centuries

Summary

Introduction

In sharp contrast to its current status of endangered species [1] the North Atlantic right whale Eubalaena glacialis was a comparatively well-known cetacean in the marine fauna of Medieval Europe. It was the primary target of several old whaling settlements in the Bay of Biscay with capture techniques pioneered by the Basques around the 10th century [2,3]. The dead whales remained buoyant after being killed They could be picked up by the whalers and processed at suitable places ashore.

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