Maritime Navigation and the Archaeology of Shipwrecks

Dr. Thomas Layton 
Faculty, San Jose State University 

Dr. Layton tells a fascinating story about how his study of Pomo Indian settlements in Mendocino County in California led to research about the story of Americans involved in the opium trade with China in the mid-19th century. While excavating a Pomo Indian site, he and his crew began to find pieces of Chinese porcelain and bottle glass. This led to the site of an 1850 shipwreck off the coast. The ship was The Frolic, a clipper ship that traveled to Bombay and China, trading opium. Dr. Layton ended up at Harvard University, researching boxes of files about The Frolic and the opium trade. Dr. Layton’s presentation on campus was in conjunction with his serving as guest curator for the exhibit, “Maritime Navigation and the Archaeology of Shipwrecks,” at the CSU, Chico Valene L. Smith Museum of Anthropology. 

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Recorded: February 13, 2014