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Ballast brick
Ballast brick

Ballast brick

Datebefore 1629
Object number00048576
NameBrick
MediumClay
DimensionsOverall: 35 x 192 x 68 mm, 920 g
ClassificationsVessels and fittings
Credit LineANMM Collection Transferred from Australian Netherlands Committee on Old Dutch Shipwrecks
DescriptionA ballast brick excavated fron the wreck site of the BATAVIA. Architectural bricks such as this were used as ballast during transportation and would have then been used in building projects in Batavia.SignificanceThis brick is associated with the oldest Dutch shipwreck discovered on the Australian coast and part of a collection of ballast bricks that are representative of European presence near the Australian continent in the 17th century.