Ship ahoy! Prayers on the walls

We present 23 tracings of historical graffiti depicting boats and seafaring motifs, obtained from the walls of four churches on the island of Oléron in France. Through our analysis of all the engravings, we have established a chronology spanning from the Late Middle Ages to the 19th century. Our typological study has enabled us to identify the types of ships that sailed the oceans during the Age of Sail. Engravings of galleons, ships of the line, brigantines, and other vessels associated with the study area – such as couraux and coralines – have been recovered. Furthermore, we have concluded that some of these engravings appear to be votive offerings from people who could not afford to build a model ship or paint a commemorative picture of a shipwreck. Others may simply depict ships that people saw in port or at sea

Chronology · Graffiti · Middle Ages · Port (circuit theory · Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies · Maritime and Coastal Archaeology