The Wreck of Batavia

The wreck of Batavia on its maiden voyage was disastrous, leading to accidental deaths, a mutiny and the mass murder of over one hundred souls — only 122 of the 322 people on board would make it to the Dutch East Indies, present day Indonesia. The 1647 account of the wreck and trial of the mutineers by the vessel’s Commander Pelsaert was a bestseller, and republished many times.

The discovery of the wreck in the 1960s led to the maritime archaeological excavation of Batavia. Since then, attention has turned to other sites on the islands of the Abrolhos. What other evidence existed of this extraordinary story of mutiny, murder, and retribution? In recent years on Batavia’s Graveyard (Beacon Island) the remains of 14 people have been carefully excavated. Several people were buried in shallow graves, under and alongside the fishers’ shacks, and another six were buried together in a mass grave. These skeletal remains along with personal objects found in these graves assist in the identification of the victims. The area understood to be where the trial and execution of the mutineers took place on Long Island has also been excavated. The archaeology of the Batavia mutiny helps us to understand the gruesome series of events which occurred.

An Emperor's Treasure

Ewer, part of Batavia silver
1628
Western Australian Museum BAT3035

This ewer or decanter with its spout missing was part of a consignment of silverware recovered from the wreck of Batavia. The silverware was commissioned in the Netherlands to present to one of the most powerful men in the world in 1629, the Mughal emperor Jahangir who ruled a large part of India. The objects include a large plate, and a jug or ewer. The onion shaped object is a silver end of a bed post.

The silver objects were decorated by their European makers to appeal to the emperor. Around the plate are pictures of hunting and fishing, because Jahangir loved big-game hunting. The engravings on the ewer show the Islamic ritual cleaning of a Mughal Prince’s hands prior to eating or drinking. The images of reclining people in Moorish dress decorate the bed-post knob.

Traces of the Past

Amber beads as part of Batavia archaeology
1629
Western Australian Museum BILS5691

Personal objects were excavated in 2015 during the discovery of four new Batavia victims. Either worn or carried, these remnants are the earliest remains of European clothes and adornment in Australia. The amber beads were worn in a bracelet around the wrist, reflecting a time when amber from the Baltic was highly prized. Pieces of a hair comb; some small patches of a thickly woven cloth survive, stained green by these copper clothing clasps. Three musket balls the same size as those excavated from the shipwreck were carried in the pocket of one of the victims.

A book clasp discovered at West Wallabi Island indicates that books were carried ashore following the wreck. It may be from a bible. The square piece of lead may have been used as a weight, a gaming piece or token of some sort.

Recovered from Long Island, the execution site of the mutineers, was a piece of lead sheathing, moulded into a ball with holes remaining where iron nails, since corroded away, would have once protruded. It has been interpreted as a deadly weapon known as a ‘morning star’. Also found together in a small area were hundreds of iron fastenings believed to have come from the gallows erected at this spot.