Artifact - Harpoon
Whaling distinguished Massachusetts from the first 13 colonies of America. The settlers in the Massachusetts colony were only limited to a few crops to plant. They relied a lot on fishing and whaling since it had an enormous impact on their economy and played a essential role in their survival. Their lives depended on their success in trading, fishing, shipbuilding, and mainly, whaling. That’s why I think the harpoon is one of the best artifacts in the Massachusetts colony.
A harpoon is a weapon used in fishing to catch fish or large marine animals such as whales which the people in Massachusetts highly value on. It is a long spear-like weapon with a rope or chain connected to the bottom of it. You use it by impaling it into the targeted animal. It was frequently called by whale-men, the iron. The harpoon was meant only to act as a hook and fasten the whale to the whale. It was normally not suppose to kill the whale. The killing was instead done by the lance. Since the harpoon was the single item that determined the success or failure of a whaling voyage it was the central item in the study of improvement. We still do not know who was the person who created the first harpoon but we do know it was one of the earliest weapons/tools of man.
The reason we chose to talk about the harpoon is because of it’s significance to the Massachusetts colony. By creating this weapon, the civilians in the colony were able to capture the whales easier. Consequently gaining more money from the trade and creating new products with the parts of the whales. But harpoon was not only used for whaling. It was also be used as a weapon if needed to fight off Native Americans.
At that time, whaling was an important industry for that whale oil were used for many daily lives . By killing the whales, the civilians from the Massachusetts colony are able to create many products. The whale oil provided the essential fuel, the heat and light, for the people of the colonies. A unique oil found in the head of the sperm whale, spermaceti, was one of the most highly prized oils. The oil was commonly used in making candles and were also used as an oil to fuel lamps.
As you can see, the harpoon has a major impact in the Massachusetts colony and is still currently used around the world.
Whaling distinguished Massachusetts from the first 13 colonies of America. The settlers in the Massachusetts colony were only limited to a few crops to plant. They relied a lot on fishing and whaling since it had an enormous impact on their economy and played a essential role in their survival. Their lives depended on their success in trading, fishing, shipbuilding, and mainly, whaling. That’s why I think the harpoon is one of the best artifacts in the Massachusetts colony.
A harpoon is a weapon used in fishing to catch fish or large marine animals such as whales which the people in Massachusetts highly value on. It is a long spear-like weapon with a rope or chain connected to the bottom of it. You use it by impaling it into the targeted animal. It was frequently called by whale-men, the iron. The harpoon was meant only to act as a hook and fasten the whale to the whale. It was normally not suppose to kill the whale. The killing was instead done by the lance. Since the harpoon was the single item that determined the success or failure of a whaling voyage it was the central item in the study of improvement. We still do not know who was the person who created the first harpoon but we do know it was one of the earliest weapons/tools of man.
The reason we chose to talk about the harpoon is because of it’s significance to the Massachusetts colony. By creating this weapon, the civilians in the colony were able to capture the whales easier. Consequently gaining more money from the trade and creating new products with the parts of the whales. But harpoon was not only used for whaling. It was also be used as a weapon if needed to fight off Native Americans.
At that time, whaling was an important industry for that whale oil were used for many daily lives . By killing the whales, the civilians from the Massachusetts colony are able to create many products. The whale oil provided the essential fuel, the heat and light, for the people of the colonies. A unique oil found in the head of the sperm whale, spermaceti, was one of the most highly prized oils. The oil was commonly used in making candles and were also used as an oil to fuel lamps.
As you can see, the harpoon has a major impact in the Massachusetts colony and is still currently used around the world.