Blackbeard's Beads: Identification and Interpretation of the Beads Recovered from the Shipwreck 31CR314 Queen Anne's Revenge

Abstract

Glass trade beads are one of the most notable artifacts of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and played an important role in African culture spiritually, metaphysically, and historically. Since its discovery in 1996, 798 glass beads have been recovered from the Queen Anne's Revenge Shipwreck. This thesis seeks to identify the beads recovered from the Queen Anne's Revenge shipwreck and interpret their relationship to the ship and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The thesis opens with the history of the slave trade, specifically the role of the French, as well as an historical overview of Blackbeard, the Queen Anne's Revenge, and of bead manufacture. Following the archaeology and recovery of the shipwreck along with its conservation program and previous research conducted on the Queen Anne's Revenge bead assemblage is discussed. Other contemporaneous archaeological sites, both terrestrial and maritime, are presented to compare the Queen Anne's Revenge bead assemblage to other sites. This research is designed to provide data on the types of beads recovered from the Queen Anne's Revenge shipwreck for both conservators at the Queen Anne's Revenge Conservation Laboratory and future archaeologist. This research provides insight into the ship's former role as a slaver and addresses the ship's link between Africa and the slave trade.