The world of ships and shipping was, according to stories and pictures in different forms, a world that was dominated by men. Women don't seem welcome on board of ships as they would cause bad luck...Show moreThe world of ships and shipping was, according to stories and pictures in different forms, a world that was dominated by men. Women don't seem welcome on board of ships as they would cause bad luck, do not have the capabilities to work on a ship, and would only distract the men. These kinds of stories are related to the ships that travelled greater voyages across the oceans, but what about inland shipping? Were women not welcome there either, or is knowledge about this limited due to a lack of research? In line with the research into habitation on board inland vessels by A.F.L. van Holk (1997), this thesis investigates the presence of women and children on board inland vessels in the period from 1500 to 1900, based on the material remains from ship excavations in the Zuiderzee area in the collection of the National Maritime Depot in Lelystad. The finds were selected based on a fixed set of keywords related to women and/or children. In order to be able to place (the research into) the finds in a framework, the historical and archaeological context were investigated first. The historical context shows that the Zuiderzee was a busy place with loads of ships sailing on it and that habitation on board became more and more common during the research period, mainly on cargo ships. The classification of the investigated ships based on period and function was in line with the historical sources. The archaeological context shows that almost all ships were excavated in a period in which the quality of excavation, research and documentation was much lower than today and that this influences the interpretation of the finds. This became particularly apparent during the research into the finds. Based on the results of the research into the finds themselves, it can be concluded that the archaeological sources used in this research are not completely reliable and incomplete. They must therefore be supplemented with other sources. In addition to the historical and archaeological sources, oral transfer of knowledge was used, in the form of a conversation with a family of inland vessel skippers. This conversation not only gave this research a more specific, personal picture of the reality of life on board inland vessels, but also a new insight into the archaeological sources. In conclusion, it can be said that archaeological sources can mainly tell something about the presence of women and children on board inland vessels. However, these sources cannot tell much about their role. Other sources are needed for this, such as historical and oral source material. In addition, it can be concluded that, in contrast to vessels sailing the ocean, where women do not seem welcome and where there seems to be no place for a family, inland shipping appears to be shipping filled with family activity.Show less
