Santa Margarita Fish Spear 1986.008.30313D Model
This five-pronged (three broken), iron fish spear from the wreck of the 1622 galleon Santa Margarita is 33.5 centimeters long. It once mounted on a wooden shaft and would have been used by sailors and others to catch fish swimming alongside. Considering that fresh meat was scarce on a ship with no refrigeration, fish would have been a welcome addition to the shipboard fare. This is device is similar to the trident that the ancient god Neptune/Poseidon carried, but with five prongs the Margarita spear is a “pentadent.” The iron of this object decomposed during the long undersea immersion, and this piece is cast of resin from the calcareous marine concretion mold that formed around the original. The pieces of hemp twine attached to it are original.
Comments