I must say these videos are 1000% worth it. Ever since I was a kid I've been fascinated by naval history, specially 15th century ships. Here in Portugal, ironically, I've striggled to find good, available and affordable books and articles on how carracks, caravels, galleons and other ships were built, how they looked and what we know about them to a full extent, so your channel is like a miracle to me. It's hard to find historical/archaeological content on youtube that is reliable and has good sources and goes deep on the subject matter, so I am very grateful for your channel!
@kroumbatchvarov-archaeologist7 ай бұрын
Thank you for the kind words and for watching! True: there isn’t much excavated, rather than treasure-hunted. There is the wreck from Aveiro but that is a small coastal craft, rather than a caravel. There is quite possibly one of Columbus’ caravels at Panama, but again has not been excavated.
@timothykronser13417 ай бұрын
I do hope you choose to continue making videos. I had wondered how much we really knew on ships from the far past. Your videos are fascinating. Thank you!
@kroumbatchvarov-archaeologist7 ай бұрын
A lot of archaeological work has been done in the last 20-30 years. We have learned a lot! Unfortunately much has been destroyed by treasure hunters - the modern pirates of the Caribbean - and that explains why we know so little about Spanish and Portuguese galleons and naos. I suppose I will do a few more videos for sure. To some extent it depends on the views and subscribers. And how long Olya will enjoy making them. She is the one who brow-beat me into making them :-)) Thank you for watching!
@genojoe31767 ай бұрын
Smart woman...@@kroumbatchvarov-archaeologist
@maxymvoloshyn7 ай бұрын
…she is great!😊
@billc.14787 ай бұрын
Thank you for the history on 15th century vessels. Very good information indeed. It would be very interesting to learn the history of the Penteconter to the Bireme to the Trireme if you'll have the time for future episodes. I have read in some articles that these vessel designs lasted for hundreds of years.
@kroumbatchvarov-archaeologist7 ай бұрын
The ancient world is less my strength, but I’ll see what I can do :-) The challenge there is that we have no physical remains at all that can be identified as penteconter or bireme.
@andrewjones16497 ай бұрын
Please, please, continue, Sir. I put thirty minutes of my Sunday afternoon aside for you. This short series of three lectures has been highly informative, so thank you for that. May I suggest you present something related to the Anthony Roll and it's history, and the ships associated with 'Great Harry's Navy'? There's a lot to cover there.
@kroumbatchvarov-archaeologist7 ай бұрын
Thank you! That’s a good idea - why not indeed. True, my real period of interest is the 17th c, but I could put something up for King Henry VIII’s fleet
@andrewjones16497 ай бұрын
@kroumbatchvarov-archaeologist That would be excellent. It's my period of interest and I'd be fascinated to hear you views.
@genojoe31767 ай бұрын
As always, another information filled lecture! Well stated, my friend!
@kroumbatchvarov-archaeologist7 ай бұрын
Thank you so much and I appreciate you watching it!
@Tusk9267 ай бұрын
Waiting eagerly for this with my little boys. It seems Liudolf and Wolfgang are ammoung your biggest fans Kroum😊. They boys watch attentively and hang on your every word. It's wonderful to watch young boys with such keen interest.
@kroumbatchvarov-archaeologist7 ай бұрын
You really made my day with this! Thank you- I am deeply honoured!
@kroumbatchvarov-archaeologist7 ай бұрын
I have been wondering whether to continue making these videos- it’s quite a bit of work and time that might be better utilized in writing, but comments like this one, encourage me to continue making them! Thank you again!
@andrewjones16497 ай бұрын
Please, please, continue, Sir. I put thirty minutes of my Sunday afternoon aside for you. This short series of three lectures has been highly informative, so thank you for that. May I suggest you present something related to the Anthony Roll and it's history, and the ships associated with 'Great Harry's Navy'? There's a lot to cover there.
@ianb38957 ай бұрын
Appreciate the series sir! Hope you would consider sharing your knowledge further as it is one of the things that make my week. Again thank you sir.
@kroumbatchvarov-archaeologist7 ай бұрын
Thank you very much indeed! Olya seems to enjoy producing them, so… I have to continue doing them. Thank you for watching!
@HyperboreanAnchovy447 ай бұрын
Great videos loving this topic
@kroumbatchvarov-archaeologist7 ай бұрын
Thank you! Glad you are enjoying them!
@ossielonen98663 ай бұрын
Hello Dr. Batchvarov. These videos are truly wonderful, thank you for them :) Speaking of archeological finds in the Baltic, how about the Okänt skepp (unknown ship)? She was found a few years back and has been dated to the turn of the 15th/16th centuries. There hasn't been much published on her yet, but in the published pictures and videos she certainly looks a lot like a caravelle, like the numerous depictions of Pinta/Nina :D
@kroumbatchvarov-archaeologist3 ай бұрын
Is this the wreck found in deep water by the SMM and then surveyed by MMT, too? The complete ship with the capstan and masts standing? I think the SMM in their exhibit at the Wreck’s Museum dated it to the 19th c :-). I have no doubt the ship can’t be later than the 17th c and most probably no later than the 16th. She is typical of small(ish) 16th c vessels that would have been known under variety of names in different parts of the world. As to caravel, possibly, but not necessarily.
@ossielonen98663 ай бұрын
@@kroumbatchvarov-archaeologist Thank you for answering! :) Those abbreviations don't mean much to me, I'm afraid. There was a press release on this a few years back with the title "Pristine Renaissance shipwreck discovered in Baltic Sea" from Southampton University by Dr. Rodrigo Pacheco-Ruiz, whom you've mentioned a few times in your videos ;) He has also published some lovely underwater footage on his youtube channel. The wreck was indeed found masts & capstan standing and also a dinghy still on deck. I guess I'm hoping some more of her would be published since I'm really interested in the period :) My intention is to make models of Baltic traders throughout the centuries and this seems to be the only find from 15th/16th centuries. Buuut if she's really been dated to 19th century after the initial press release then, well, bummer :D
@fredericrike59747 ай бұрын
Kroum, when Catherine the Great of Russia sent buyers to an art auction in Europe in the early 17th Century, the vessel contracted to take her treasures across the Baltic and home sank in a storm. It was found some few years back and Nat . Geo did some remarkable photo and essay work on it. That ship and it's cargo sparked a lot of interest, but AFAIK, it has never been excavated. Maybe that it is in 700 feet, over 200 meters, of water is the reason, but do you know of others?
@kroumbatchvarov-archaeologist7 ай бұрын
The tyrant Tsarina Catherine ruled in the second half of the 18th, not the 17th century :-) as to the vessel- I don’t actually know much about it. I would have heard, had it been excavated. It is technically possible to do it, of course, but it is challenging and there has to be a really, really good reason to do it. I actually haven’t seen tye Nar Geo material. Unfortunately, they have quite often sponsored treasure-hunters; this might be one of these cases which would Explain why no information is out there.
@ossielonen98663 ай бұрын
@@kroumbatchvarov-archaeologist @fredericrike5974 The ship in question is the Vrouw Maria, a Dutch snow-brig that sank in 1771 in the Finnish archipelago and was indeed carrying quite a valuable cargo. The wreck was found some 25 years ago in an exttremely well preserved state and has been studied periodically ever since then. There have been numerous discussions if the ship should be raised and/or excavated fully but currently the consensus is that she is best preserved where she is. The wreck site is protected under the Finnish law.
@torstenmay2047 ай бұрын
Dear Kroum, first, please continue the channel! It is getting increasingly interesting, and I got used to the Sunday evening lecture 😊 Secondly: I'm certainly not in the position to argue with you, but for me the Mataro ship seems to be a paradox. To my knowledge "votive models" typically have undersized hulls (i.e. too small depth/breadth), in order to compensate for the unusual viewing angle from below (if the hung in a church). I'm not saying that the huge length/breath ratio of 2 is the norm, but maybe it could have been used sometimes? So, maybe the little ship could be more than a religious toy? Especially considering that it has been built with detailed internals (which I believe is also non-typical for votive models)? Please let me know, and don't be shy of tear my reasoning into pieces 😅 Best, Torsten
@kroumbatchvarov-archaeologist7 ай бұрын
Dear Torsten, thank you for watching and for the comment! Votive models certainly have distorted proportions- you are right. For the B to L ration, we haven’t got a single source that speaks of such proportions. The lowest proportion we have is length of keel to beam of 2.75 if memory serves me right. So significantly different, especially length overall vs beam. This model is know to have hung in a church at some point. Of course, this does not mean that it was originally built for this purpose. It may have been repurposed as result of a traumatic experience by the owner :-)
@stevenlowe30267 ай бұрын
I've been following your channel with interest, and I'm particularly glad you've mentioned the Gribshunden - I've been avidly awaiting the archaeological reports for some time. I'll probably have to wait quite awhile longer, knowing how long these things take to prepare. In the meantime, would you be able to provide any sort of indication of the dimensions? Length of keel or something of the sort, even if only some kind of rough figure of just how big she was?
@kroumbatchvarov-archaeologist7 ай бұрын
There are certain levels of complication in this project - beyond what I actually know of the administration - that make it harder to predict when a complete excavation might be undertaken and by whom. At present I am aware of one transversal trench (which I don’t think was quite completed in 2019) approximately amidships. We came to the conclusion that we were excavating right at the forward end of the sterncastle. From documents it is know that her burthen was about 300 tons - which of course, has nothing to do with her displacement. The keel is visible in the stern section, where most crutches (floor timbers) are still standing. The forward part of the keel is buried. The stem and the hawse holes are visible and lying on the surface so a very rough estimate of her length can be guesstimated. The Lund folks uploaded a 3-D scaled site model to one of the 3D sites (SketchUp???) from which you can take measurements and see what’s visible. Hopefully one day the ship will receive the attention that it deserves with focus on the ship itself. I may not live long enough to see it, though :-)
@stevenlowe30267 ай бұрын
@@kroumbatchvarov-archaeologist Thanks so much for the prompt and comprehensive reply. Unfortunately I haven't been able to locate the 3D site. Would you have any advice on how I could find it? Even the beam dimension would be enough information to answer my question about size.
@stevenlowe30266 ай бұрын
I have now found a couple of websites which give an estimate of the Gribshunden's size as roughly 32-35 metres long and 12 metres wide. Thank you for providing this channel - it's of great interest and value.
@maxymvoloshyn7 ай бұрын
All the articles I have found about Gripshunden focus on the discoveries made on it, detailing aspects of politics, economics, the mission's significance, and some objects that were found. However, I haven’t encountered any mention of intentions to reconstruct the ship or present its design. I can only hope that there is genuine interest in understanding the ship's structure from an engineering perspective and that this goal will be realized. It's regrettable that this is the only discovery of its kind. After all, how can we rule out the possibility of an error? Without other ships of this type for comparison, it will be impossible to confirm.
@kroumbatchvarov-archaeologist7 ай бұрын
You are spot on on all you say! Archaeology loves patterns, repetition - everything that the media doesn’t like! :-). When we have one ship of a type and age, all we can say is “this ship was built this way”, but doesn’t mean that all ships at the time were built this way. You are absolutely correct about this. This is why The Skuldelev ships were so important for the study of Norse shipbuilding. It offered 5 wrecks built in the same tradition, but different vessels for different purposes. The same with the Yenikapi wrecks from Istanbul: once published, this will give us incredible look into Byzantine shipbuilding and seafaring, together with the other contemporary vessels excavated- like Yassiada 7th century, the Bulgar Wreck from Serce Limani (1025 AD), the Black Sea 9th c wreck, the Bozburun, Maagan Mikhael B wreck, etc. returning to Gribshunden. The permitting situation apparently is complicating the situation. You have seen mostly the Lund group articles. They don’t have ship specialists, so they concentrate on the material culture. Some of it is very interesting and important for understanding the site, sure. But the most important find there is actually the ship itself. Because it is unique. The MARIS team are more ship-oriented. They are now working (and me with them) on putting together a view of the stern, based on the insubstantial work that has been done hitherto. We are hoping eventually to expand the excavation and document the whole wreck. Well, I am hoping that this will happen. Meanwhile, we are going to work on Elefanten in the coming year (1554 built).
@maxymvoloshyn7 ай бұрын
Dear Dr. Batchvarov, It’s great to know that you are participating. For me, this means there is hope that some light will be shed on the actual design of Gripshunden sooner rather than later! And, thank you for detailed reply! In your reply, you mentioned some other wrecks and their respective datings. Could the dating process in maritime archaeology be a topic for one of your future videos? It would be very interesting to learn about how findings are dated, especially from a real field expert.
@TheHerring77 ай бұрын
@@kroumbatchvarov-archaeologist Interesting. What are the thoughts regarding future work on Gribshunden? I can imagine there would be quite some expense involved in an excavation, as well as the cost of care of any parts recovered. Excavate and re-bury, or excavate and display? How much of the wreck is actually buried and how much is exposed?
@TheHerring77 ай бұрын
Great video, thank you. For the 1983 Mataró endoscope video, there was a picture from it in a dissertation from 2011 by James Ashwell (Modelled On Reality? An Examination Of The Mataró Model & The European Ship Of Exploration, 1400-1530), it mentions Sjoerd de Meer of Maritiem Museum Rotterdam provided this, I take it you already checked with him about the video and they no longer have it?
@kroumbatchvarov-archaeologist7 ай бұрын
I have been idly wondering about the video and have not really put an effort to look for it. As a matter of fact, I haven’t checked with him and that is the obvious first stop, of course! True, this is not my particular period, but I ought to try tracking it down. It would be good to be able to show students and to use it as comparative material when working on the hull of Gribshunden with my colleagues who are the primary investigators there. Thank you for this information! I think I will follow up on it!
@kroumbatchvarov-archaeologist7 ай бұрын
Do you know at what university did Mr. Ashwell matriculate?
@TheHerring77 ай бұрын
@kroumbatchvarov-archaeologist Glad if I have been of some assistance. He was at the University of Bristol. His dissertation is available online for free, (apologies for not sharing; unfortunately KZfaq does not allow links but removes such comments) it contains some interesting comments on the internal framing. Sounds like very interesting times coming up with regards to Gribshunden indeed. I myself am originally from Ronneby and my brother still lives in Karlskrona, so it is in my old home area. 😀 (I am now living in Australia since 25 years back)