Preliminary analysis of the early handheld guns recovered from shipwrecks plying the seas of the pre-colonial Philippines, c.1400 – c.1600
Dublin Core
Title
Preliminary analysis of the early handheld guns recovered from shipwrecks plying the seas of the pre-colonial Philippines, c.1400 – c.1600
Description
This study presents seven early handheld guns also known as “handgonnes” or hand cannons recovered from
shipwrecks plying the seas of the pre-colonial Philippines. In this paper, three guns HHG-001, HHG-002, and
HHG-003, feature shorter and stubby barrels with prominent reinforced sections, bulbous breech regions, and
flared muzzles. The flared muzzles of these guns are typical of a blunderbuss type and or dart-firing guns of the
fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The remaining handheld guns HHG-004, HHG-005, HHG-006, and
HHG-007, on the other hand, are tapered gun barrels without prominent reinforcement rings, and unflared
muzzles that are probably designed for a single bullet and long-range firing. The smallest unflared muzzle gun
HHG-005 measures only 39.1 cm long with a 1.31 cm bore diameter. While HHG-007 is the heaviest with a
prominently thick gun barrel probably designed to withstand more powder charges.
Compositional analysis using Portable X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy showed that most of these guns were
made of leaded tin bronze alloys. Comprised mainly of 37.77% to 83.57% copper, 3.11% to 22.41% tin, and
0.87% to 47.72% lead with other trace elements including arsenic, bismuth, nickel, and manganese, among
others. The discovery of these guns in various merchant ships such as those of the Santa Cruz, Pandanan, and
Lena Shoal shipwrecks is clear evidence of their use by the early seafaring merchants. The use of pXRF also
revealed traces of possible black powder elements such as sulphur and potassium thereby suggesting the actual
usage of these guns that warrants further investigation. Despite their size and offensive functions against pirates
and crews of enemy ships, firing them would have been intimidating.
shipwrecks plying the seas of the pre-colonial Philippines. In this paper, three guns HHG-001, HHG-002, and
HHG-003, feature shorter and stubby barrels with prominent reinforced sections, bulbous breech regions, and
flared muzzles. The flared muzzles of these guns are typical of a blunderbuss type and or dart-firing guns of the
fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The remaining handheld guns HHG-004, HHG-005, HHG-006, and
HHG-007, on the other hand, are tapered gun barrels without prominent reinforcement rings, and unflared
muzzles that are probably designed for a single bullet and long-range firing. The smallest unflared muzzle gun
HHG-005 measures only 39.1 cm long with a 1.31 cm bore diameter. While HHG-007 is the heaviest with a
prominently thick gun barrel probably designed to withstand more powder charges.
Compositional analysis using Portable X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy showed that most of these guns were
made of leaded tin bronze alloys. Comprised mainly of 37.77% to 83.57% copper, 3.11% to 22.41% tin, and
0.87% to 47.72% lead with other trace elements including arsenic, bismuth, nickel, and manganese, among
others. The discovery of these guns in various merchant ships such as those of the Santa Cruz, Pandanan, and
Lena Shoal shipwrecks is clear evidence of their use by the early seafaring merchants. The use of pXRF also
revealed traces of possible black powder elements such as sulphur and potassium thereby suggesting the actual
usage of these guns that warrants further investigation. Despite their size and offensive functions against pirates
and crews of enemy ships, firing them would have been intimidating.
Creator
NM Austero
BC Orillaneda
LM Neri
Publisher
The Museum of Underwater Archaeology
Date
2023
Language
English
Bibliographic Citation
Austero, Nero M., BC Orillaneda, LM Neri. 2023. “Preliminary analysis of the early handheld guns recovered from shipwrecks plying the seas of the pre-colonial Philippines, c.1400 – c.1600.” Edited by Jennifer Craig, Jay Mok, T. Kurt Knoerl, and Michelle Damian. Proceedings of Fifth Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage: Gwangju, The Republic of Korea, November 13-18 2023. The Museum of Underwater Archaeology. URL: https://apconf.omeka.net/exhibits/show/apconfproceedings/item/1917
Files
Collection
Citation
NM Austero, BC Orillaneda, and LM Neri, “Preliminary analysis of the early handheld guns recovered from shipwrecks plying the seas of the pre-colonial Philippines, c.1400 – c.1600,” Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage Proceedings, accessed September 16, 2026, https://apconf.omeka.net/items/show/1917.