MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Archaeologists find evidence of Defoe's Robinson Crusoe

Archaeologists uncovered what they think is evidence of the campsite of a ship-wrecked sailor said to be the inspiration for Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. The archaeologists' findings were published in the journal Post-Medieval Archaeology.

The archaeology dig was on the island of Aguas Buenas, a Pacific island west of Chile. The island is also known as Robinson Crusoe Island, after the character in Defoe's mid-18th century novel. The team unearthed a pair of navigational dividers from the period, which they believe belonged to Alexander Selkirk, a Scotsman rescued from the island in 1709. The dividers match the description of equipment the captain of the ship that rescued Selkirk said were among his possessions when they found him. Indeed Selkirk's rescuer, Captain Woodes Rogers' account of what he saw on arrival at Aguas Buenas in 1709 lists 'some practical pieces' and mathematical instruments amongst the few possessions that Selkirk had taken with him from the ship. The finds also provide an insight into exactly how Selkirk might have lived on the island. Postholes suggest he built two shelters near to a freshwater stream, and had access to a viewpoint over the harbour from where he would be able to watch for approaching ships and ascertain whether they were friend or foe. Accounts written shortly after his rescue describe him shooting goats with a gun rescued from the ship, and eventually learning to outrun them, eating their meat and using their skins as clothing. He also passed time reading the Bible and singing psalms, and seems to have enjoyed a more peaceful and devout existence than at any other time in his life. David H Caldwell, National Museums Scotland, is pleased with the results of the dig: "The evidence uncovered at Aguas Buenas corroborates the stories of Alexander Selkirk's stay on the island and provides a fascinating insight into his existence there. We hope that Aguas Buenas, with careful management, may be a site enjoyed by the increasing number of tourists searching for the inspiration behind Defoe's masterpiece." Alexander Selkirk was born in the small seaside town of Lower Largo, Fife, Scotland in 1676. A younger son of a shoemaker, he was drawn to a life at sea from an early age. In 1704, during a privateering voyage on the Cinque Ports, Selkirk fell out with the commander over the boat's seaworthiness and he decided to remain behind on Robinson Crusoe Island where they had landed to overhaul the worm-infested vessel. He cannot have known that it would be five years before he was picked up by an English ship visiting the island. Published in 1719, Robinson Crusoe is one of the oldest and most famous adventure stories in English literature. Whilst it is unclear whether Defoe and Selkirk actually met, Defoe would certainly have heard the stories of Selkirk's adventure and used the tales as the basis for his novel.