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Beyond Reasonable Doubt: A Case for Queen Anne’s Revenge

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Abstract

Being able to identify an archaeological site is as fundamental to maritime archaeologists as it is to their terrestrial counterparts. Identifying a site allows the archaeologist to utilize the historical record better to answer questions about past lives and events. Often, however, there are no key artifacts or features that positively identify a site. The situation is complicated on high-profile sites where the press, the public, and agencies sponsoring the work want a quick, decisive, and positive pronouncement, while the archaeological profession understands the inherent ambiguity of the archaeological record and wonders how such unambiguous pronouncements can be made on limited data. Rigorous investigation and testing by an interdisciplinary team, such as those focused on the identity of the suspected Queen Anne’s Revenge shipwreck, however, can provide a preponderance of circumstantial evidence that strongly supports the working hypothesis and crosses the threshold of reasonable doubt.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. North Carolina Underwater Archaeology Branch, 1528 Ft. Fisher Boulevard, Kure Beach, NC, 28449, USA

    Mark U. Wilde-Ramsing

  2. Department of Anthropology, East Carolina University, 231 Flanagan Building, East Fifth Street, Greenville, NC, 27858-4353, USA

    Charles R. Ewen

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  1. Mark U. Wilde-Ramsing
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  2. Charles R. Ewen
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Wilde-Ramsing, M.U., Ewen, C.R. Beyond Reasonable Doubt: A Case for Queen Anne’s Revenge. Hist Arch 46, 110–133 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03377319

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