title: 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.
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.
authors: Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas, Ministério da Agricultura e do Mar, Lisboa, Portugal.
authors: António
authors: A
authors: Teixeira
authors: Museu Municipal de Peniche, Câmara Municipal de Peniche, Peniche, Portugal.
authors: Rui
authors: R
authors: Venâncio
authors: Centro de História de Além-Mar (CHAM), Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa and Universidade dos Açores, Lisboa, Portugal.
authors: Cristina
authors: C
authors: Brito
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005580:Fossils; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011174:Portugal; D014907:Whales