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Three lost ceramic artifacts from Frobisher’s colony, 1578

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Abstract

In 1578 the Elizabethan explorer, Martin Frobisher, attempted to establish a permanent colony in northern Canada. It was an immediate failure, and all 100 colonists returned to England with Frobisher the same year. The site of the colony was discovered in 1862 by the Arctic explorer, Charles Francis Hall, who brought back to the United States a group of artifacts from the site. All the items have since been lost, but an inventory and a drawing from Hall’s records have survived. Based on these sources, three ceramic artifacts are discussed, and their possible identifications are suggested.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Archaeology, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, USA

    Eric Klingelhofer

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  1. Eric Klingelhofer
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Klingelhofer, E. Three lost ceramic artifacts from Frobisher’s colony, 1578. Hist Arch 10, 131–134 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03374008

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