Fragments of Trade and Consumption: Plant Macroremains from the Boa Vista Ships in Lisbon.

Abstract

Archaeological interventions along Lisbon's riverside have revealed critical insights into the city's transformation from a maritime beach to an industrialized port zone. Excavations at the former Praia da Boa Vista revealed three ships (Boa Vista 1, 2, and 5), probably abandoned on the old Boa Vista beach between the last half of the seventeenth century and first half of the eighteenth century. These contexts, linked to the Atlantic trade and intense port activity, included botanical remains such as coconuts, cocoa, olives, and cherries, reflecting both crew consumption and commercial trade. Manual sampling favored large botanical materials, creating a preservation bias and limiting the interpretation of cargo diversity. Limitations included loss of stratigraphic data and label degradation. Nevertheless, the findings illuminate the integration of exotic and local products in Lisbon's maritime economy. This study underscores the need for improved sampling methods in waterlogged environments and highlights how fragmentary remains can offer valuable insights into daily life, trade routes, and the environmental and commercial evolution of early modern Lisbon.