Datasets and an article compiled in relation to the PhD research.
The deposited data related to the dissertation are organized by chapter. Below follows a description of the underlying data for each chapter.
Chapter 1: Introduction
In this chapter, the research questions and overall research design are presented, together with a sub-study that forms part of the general introduction. No separate dataset was compiled for this sub-study; instead, it draws on general literature and iconographic research, as well as the database Dutch Craft Guilds (https://doi.org/10.34894/WYQO0Z).
Chapter 2: The Lifecycle and Lifespan of Casks
This chapter is based on 464 casks from archaeological contexts, all of which were successfully dated using dendrochronology. These include 345 casks from urban archaeological contexts and 119 from maritime archaeological contexts. The consulted written sources used consisted mainly of urban ordinances from cities such as Gouda and Haarlem. Information from present-day coopers helped to further interpret the results.
Chapter 3: Provenance and Production
This chapter draws on data from 357 casks, all of which were successfully dated using dendrochronology. These include 345 casks from urban archaeological contexts and 18 from maritime archaeological contexts. In addition, this sub-study made extensive use of written source material from the Sound Toll Registers (1497–1857), the Zaandam Timber Auctions (1655–1811), and the Database of Dutch Craft Guilds (1200–1900).
Chapter 4: The Production of Casks in the Netherlands
This chapter is based on four 3D-scanned casks but primarily draws on overview studies by other researchers. This information was supplemented with written sources from the Database of Dutch Craft Guilds (1200–1900) and archival records from coopers’ guilds in cities such as Amsterdam, Vlissingen, Veere, Gouda, Haarlem, Dordrecht, and Rotterdam. In addition, interviews with present-day coopers were conducted to further elaborate on the cask production practices.
Chapter 5: Identifying Contents through Casks
The sub-study presented in this chapter primarily draws on written sources, including legislation from various levels of authority, namely urban, provincial, and broader jurisdictions such as the Habsburg Empire. However, the most consulted sources consist of urban ordinances from cities such as Gouda, Haarlem, Dordrecht, Amsterdam, and Leiden, along with archival material from organizations like the College van de Grote Visserij. In addition, extensive use was made of iconographic sources and objects from museum collections. Archaeological data, which is very limited available for this sub-study’s research topic, is subsequently used to corroborate and verify the findings based on written sources.
Chapter 6: Repurpose of Casks
This chapter draws on 226 casks from urban archaeological contexts in Vlissingen, including both dendrochronologically analyzed and unanalyzed examples. To identify and classify different forms of cask repurpose, the RKD (Netherlands Institute for Art History) database was consulted. On a smaller scale, written source material was also consulted in this sub-study to estimate the construction costs of a water wells.
Chapter 7: Typology for Cask marks
A total of 1,901 cask marks are analyzed in this chapter, with 1,021 from archaeological contexts and 880 from historical sources. The cask marks from archaeological contexts can be further subdivided into 405 from maritime contexts, 527 from urban contexts, and 89 from rural contexts, a segment of which has been dated using dendrochronological analysis. The 880 cask marks derived from written sources were collected from various archival repositories, including the Craft Guild Archives of Zierikzee and Veere, the Amsterdam Notarial Archives, and the Archive of the Middelburgsche Commercie Compagnie. To examine the cask marks from archaeological contexts in detail, photometric stereo techniques were subsequently used.
After compiling the dataset, the interpretation of the cask marks relied primarily on written sources, supplemented by museum objects, iconographic material, and interviews with present-day coopers. These sources were used selectively and purposefully. When marks from archaeological contexts could not be interpreted, written records were consulted first; if these proved insufficient, additional sources were employed. For example, construction marks, which are poorly documented in written sources, were discussed with present-day coopers to better understand their function.
Most information came from written archives, particularly the coopers’ guild records from cities such as Haarlem, Breda, Amsterdam, Veere, Dordrecht, and Vlissingen. In addition, urban ordinances from Gouda, Haarlem, and Dordrecht, as well as archives of organizations like the College van de Grote Visserij, were consulted.
Chapter 8: The coffee was paid for dearly. Case study
This sub-study differs slightly in its design from the other case studies, as its initial aim was to identify a shipwreck. The assemblage from the BZN4 wreck, which included 47 documented casks, served as the primary point of departure for this investigation. The remaining recovered material and the ship’s construction were also examined, with dendrochronological analysis playing a central role in determining their age. The written sources consulted mainly comprise the Amsterdam Notarial Deeds, the Archive of the Sociëteit van Suriname, the Suriname Church Records of Christenings, Marriages and Burials (DTB), and the Suriname Notarial Deeds.
