Search for Barents: Evaluation of possible burial sites on north Novaya Zemlya, Russia
Three cairns on northernmost Novaya Zemlya identified as possible rock-pile graves by Russian investigators in 1977 and 1988 were located and inspected for human remains. These cairns are in the area visited by Dutch seafarers between 17 and 22 June 1597, after their wintering on Novaya Zemlya, and...
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ftunivwagenin:oai:library.wur.nl:wurpubs/370951 2024-02-04T09:56:21+01:00 Search for Barents: Evaluation of possible burial sites on north Novaya Zemlya, Russia Zeeberg, J.J. Floore, P.M. Maat, G.J.R. Gawronski, J.H. 2002 application/pdf https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/search-for-barents-evaluation-of-possible-burial-sites-on-north-n https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic716 en eng https://edepot.wur.nl/22465 https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/search-for-barents-evaluation-of-possible-burial-sites-on-north-n doi:10.14430/arctic716 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Wageningen University & Research Arctic 55 (2002) 4 ISSN: 0004-0843 Arctic exploration Burial rituals Cairns Cartography Historical archeology Novaya Zemlya Willem Barents info:eu-repo/semantics/article Article/Letter to editor info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 2002 ftunivwagenin https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic716 2024-01-10T23:27:31Z Three cairns on northernmost Novaya Zemlya identified as possible rock-pile graves by Russian investigators in 1977 and 1988 were located and inspected for human remains. These cairns are in the area visited by Dutch seafarers between 17 and 22 June 1597, after their wintering on Novaya Zemlya, and may contain the body of Willem Barents. Barents and one of his crewmen died on 20 June 1597 while the winterers were on landfast ice close to shore. Previous research on Spitsbergen and contemporary reports on the efforts of 16th and 17th century Dutch seafarers to prepare a Christian grave led us to conclude that the deceased probably were buried on the beach, possibly in a shallow grave or a snowbank. Inspection of the area indicates that this grave probably was destroyed by high (5+ m asl) wave run-up during storms, cryogenic erosion, and animals (polar bear, fox). None of the cairns, or any of several other prominent rock piles in the ~180 km long search area, contained human remains or had lichen growths that would indicate construction ~400 years ago (>2 cm, Rhizocarpon sp.). Cairns were not reported by the Dutch in 1594-98, and most of those encountered on northern Novaya Zemlya probably date from exploration after ca. 1860, when the region north of ~76°N became accessible in a warming, post-Little Ice Age climate Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Arctic Novaya Zemlya polar bear Spitsbergen Wageningen UR (University & Research Centre): Digital Library Arctic Rock Pile ENVELOPE(-65.167,-65.167,-68.417,-68.417) ARCTIC 55 4 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Wageningen UR (University & Research Centre): Digital Library |
op_collection_id |
ftunivwagenin |
language |
English |
topic |
Arctic exploration Burial rituals Cairns Cartography Historical archeology Novaya Zemlya Willem Barents |
spellingShingle |
Arctic exploration Burial rituals Cairns Cartography Historical archeology Novaya Zemlya Willem Barents Zeeberg, J.J. Floore, P.M. Maat, G.J.R. Gawronski, J.H. Search for Barents: Evaluation of possible burial sites on north Novaya Zemlya, Russia |
topic_facet |
Arctic exploration Burial rituals Cairns Cartography Historical archeology Novaya Zemlya Willem Barents |
description |
Three cairns on northernmost Novaya Zemlya identified as possible rock-pile graves by Russian investigators in 1977 and 1988 were located and inspected for human remains. These cairns are in the area visited by Dutch seafarers between 17 and 22 June 1597, after their wintering on Novaya Zemlya, and may contain the body of Willem Barents. Barents and one of his crewmen died on 20 June 1597 while the winterers were on landfast ice close to shore. Previous research on Spitsbergen and contemporary reports on the efforts of 16th and 17th century Dutch seafarers to prepare a Christian grave led us to conclude that the deceased probably were buried on the beach, possibly in a shallow grave or a snowbank. Inspection of the area indicates that this grave probably was destroyed by high (5+ m asl) wave run-up during storms, cryogenic erosion, and animals (polar bear, fox). None of the cairns, or any of several other prominent rock piles in the ~180 km long search area, contained human remains or had lichen growths that would indicate construction ~400 years ago (>2 cm, Rhizocarpon sp.). Cairns were not reported by the Dutch in 1594-98, and most of those encountered on northern Novaya Zemlya probably date from exploration after ca. 1860, when the region north of ~76°N became accessible in a warming, post-Little Ice Age climate |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Zeeberg, J.J. Floore, P.M. Maat, G.J.R. Gawronski, J.H. |
author_facet |
Zeeberg, J.J. Floore, P.M. Maat, G.J.R. Gawronski, J.H. |
author_sort |
Zeeberg, J.J. |
title |
Search for Barents: Evaluation of possible burial sites on north Novaya Zemlya, Russia |
title_short |
Search for Barents: Evaluation of possible burial sites on north Novaya Zemlya, Russia |
title_full |
Search for Barents: Evaluation of possible burial sites on north Novaya Zemlya, Russia |
title_fullStr |
Search for Barents: Evaluation of possible burial sites on north Novaya Zemlya, Russia |
title_full_unstemmed |
Search for Barents: Evaluation of possible burial sites on north Novaya Zemlya, Russia |
title_sort |
search for barents: evaluation of possible burial sites on north novaya zemlya, russia |
publishDate |
2002 |
url |
https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/search-for-barents-evaluation-of-possible-burial-sites-on-north-n https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic716 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-65.167,-65.167,-68.417,-68.417) |
geographic |
Arctic Rock Pile |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Rock Pile |
genre |
Arctic Arctic Novaya Zemlya polar bear Spitsbergen |
genre_facet |
Arctic Arctic Novaya Zemlya polar bear Spitsbergen |
op_source |
Arctic 55 (2002) 4 ISSN: 0004-0843 |
op_relation |
https://edepot.wur.nl/22465 https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/search-for-barents-evaluation-of-possible-burial-sites-on-north-n doi:10.14430/arctic716 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Wageningen University & Research |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic716 |
container_title |
ARCTIC |
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55 |
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4 |
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