WHAT TO TAKE AND HOW TO TRANSPORT IT: STORAGE EQUIPMENT OF AN EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY BRITISH WARSHIP SHIPWRECKED IN PATAGONIA (PUERTO DESEADO, SANTA CRUZ, ARGENTINA)

The HMS Swift was a British Navy ship serving in the Malvinas Islands, which sank in 1770 off the coast of current-day Puerto Deseado, Santa Cruz Province. The particular environmental conditions of the site preserved the organic archaeological materials, including most of the ship's structure. The goal of this paper is to describe and analyze wooden containers and storage furniture -boxes, chests and cupboards- located in the Captain's quarters. Most were found in well-defined archaeological contexts and still had their original contents. Space on board ship was a critical factor, especially in small vessels like the Swift; careful selection of what could be transported was essential. This is relevant when acknowledging that material culture plays an active role in the constitution of users' identities and in processes of social communication. As such, the particular dimensions of artifacts are revealed to be significant.