Jamestown Matchlock

Jamestown 1607-1610


The Jamestown Rediscovery archaeological project sheds light on aspects of the lives of the Jamestown colonists. Part of the Dale House Exhibit of 1999 was digitized and placed online. This exhibit includes an informative drawing showing how a soldier might have been armed--weapons and armor. Portions of the image can be clicked to bring up an image of an excavated artifact.

The matchlock lockplate is a case in point. The text accompanying the image highlights some of the weaknesses of this aspect of European technology, offering additional support for points I made in the post "Superior European Technology"--an ironic title.