Lead Artifacts Found in Taillebourg, Port d’Envaux Harbor: Typology, Use, and Origin

Subaqueous surveys carried out in the Charente, on the Taillebourg site, Port d’Envaux (dept. Charente-Maritime, France) revealed evidence of many activities related to the Charente River dating mainly from the Merovingian and Carolingian periods. Many lead objects were found among the abundant furniture. These objects were found in locations used for fishing. The first interpretations defined them as fishing gear. The discovery of such a corpus is itself an interesting fact. Indeed, the tendency of recycling this material does not plead for its preservation. The study of these sinkers has focused both on the definition of their type and initial interpretation of their function. In addition to the classification methods usually used, an experimental approach was undertaken to better understand the production techniques. Surface analysis by X-ray fluorescence was also performed. Finally placing the historical context of the collection in the High Middle Ages and the discovery of this material in the zone of influence of the Melle mint led us to question the origin of the lead. To answer this question, a series of lead isotope analyses were carried out from the series of boat-shaped sinkers.