Lifespan of Casks

International Journal of Wood Culture, vol. 6, pp. 25–63

Abstract

Abstract Casks are frequently encountered in urban and maritime archaeological sites dating from the Late Middle Ages to the Early Modern period; however, their research potential remains underexplored. Initial investigations into casks began at the excavation level in maritime archaeological contexts, particularly through the study of shipwreck assemblages, while urban archaeological research adopted similar methods when cask assemblages were recovered at urban sites. Nevertheless, systematic studies focusing exclusively on casks are rare, leaving a fundamental question unanswered: What is the nature and duration of a cask’s lifespan? The lifespan of a cask includes three stages: production, use as a transport container, and repurposing. Several methods are employed to differentiate these stages chronologically: Dendrochronological analysis (i.e., tree-ring dating) of the timber and the identification of marks applied during the commissioning of the cask provide insight into the production phase. The duration of the second phase — its use as a transport container — can be estimated either by dating the context of the cask found (such as a shipwreck) or calculating the timespan between the production phase and its repurposing. The final phase, in which casks are repurposed — often as shafts for wells and cesspits — can be contextually dated based on artifacts found in the features. This study utilizes these chronological methods to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the lifespan of casks. Beyond reconstructing the lifespan of casks, this research assesses the reliability of cask-based dating for contextual analysis. A systematic comparison between dendrochronological dates and artifact-based relative dating focuses on terminus ante quem ( TAQ ) and terminus post quem ( TPQ ) indicators. While these methods are commonly presented together, a comparative analysis has been lacking. This study addresses this gap, critically assessing how cask-related dating evidence should be interpreted and applied within archaeological frameworks.

Authors 1

1. Jeroen Oosterbaan corresponding Aachen Faculty of Archaeology

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University https://dx.doi.org/4496 Einsteinweg 2, 2333 CC Leiden The Netherlands