- Novaya Zemlya Home
- Introduction
- Finding a route
- Disagreements among geographers
- Barentsz and Van Heemskerck
- De Veer's eye-witness account
- Het Behouden Huys
- Returning home: a hero's welcome
- Publishing matters: Cornelis Claesz
- International interest
- Archaeological remains
- The myth of Novaya Zemlya
- Quiz
- Bibliography
- Feedback form
- Copyright
Archaeological remains
From the 19th century onwards, and until as recently as 1995, Russian and Dutch archaeologists have recovered much of the material left by the crew of Barentsz and Van Heemskerck in the late 1590s. One example is this clock: Illustration 15. (copied
with permission from the Rijksmuseum, from the Internet)
This clock was found at the site of the Behouden Huys at Novaya Zemlya in the
first archaeological expedition to the island in 1871. It can also
be observed in the engraving by the De Brys of the interior of
the log cabin [ill. 14], in the top-right corner. Together with
many other artefacts from Novaya Zemlya, it is currently in the
collection of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. |
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>Click to view a larger version of the image
Arguably the most memorable find at Novaya Zemlya was a letter, probably written by either Barentsz or Van Heemskerck, left in a powder horn, and discovered in the late 19th century. The text was still legible after more than 300 years. What follows here is an excerpt of this letter:
“Syn int huijs ghewoent van den 12 October Anno 1596 den heelen wynter over totten 13 Juni des naestvolgenden jaers Anno 1597 [...] grote coude. Sijn den selfden 13. Juni doen ons schip noch al vast int ijs besloeten lach met ons schuyt ende boet van hier gheseylt om weder thuys te moegen coemen onse godt wil ons behouden reyse verleenen ende ons met ghesontheyt ins ons vaderlant brengen. Amen.”