Underwater Archaeology in the Lower São Francisco River: The Neópolis Shipwreck, Sergipe, Brazil (Eighteenth–Nineteenth Centuries)

Abstract This article presents the results of research conducted at a shipwreck archaeological site located in the São Francisco River, specifically in the city of Neópolis, in the state of Sergipe, Brazil. Situated just a few dozen meters from the river port and submerged at no more than ten meters deep, the Neópolis Shipwreck consists mainly of the remains of a wooden vessel sheathed in copper alloy sheets, built and sunk between the late eighteenth century and the early decades of the nineteenth century. The study of the site—part of a broader project for regional mapping of submerged cultural heritage—was carried out using 3D photogrammetry techniques, archaeometric analysis of the vessel’s timbers and metal, bibliographic research, and comparative analysis of material culture, especially cannons looted from the riverbed. Based on the investigation, it is hypothesised that the Neópolis Shipwreck originated from a vessel approximately 20 m long by 5 m wide and armed for combat. Furthermore, it may have been used for privateering during the early stages of the Cisplatine War (1825–1828), a conflict between the newly independent Brazilian Empire and the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (roughly corresponding to present-day Argentina).