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Japanese Explorer Finds Evidence Of 'Robinson Crusoe's' Island Home

By Chris Johnson  (Mail online. (Daily Mail) Last updated at 5:40 PM on 30th October 2008)

The legendary literary story of Robinson Crusoe, cast away on a desert island, has captivated readers for centuries.

Now archaeologists have unearthed fresh evidence about the real-life Crusoe - Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk - who was marooned in 1704 on a small tropical island in the Pacific Ocean for more than four years.

During a dig on the island of Aguas Buenas , a nautical instrument was discovered, along with proof of a campsite dwelling, thought to be used by Selkirk.

The research, presented in the journal Post-Medieval Archaeology, supports contemporary record of the Scotman's existence on the island, since renamed Robinson Crusoe Island.

Some postholes were discovered near a fresh water stream which suggest he built two shelters there and had access to a viewpoint over the harbour. There, he would be able to watch for approaching ships and keep a lookout for potential enemies.

But perhaps the most compelling evidence of all is the discovery of a pair of navigational dividers.

The nautical equipment could only have belonged to a ship's master or navigator, as history suggests Selkirk was.

It is said that Selkirk came to settle on Arguas Buenas after he fell out with his commander over the seaworthiness of the Cinque Ports, a boat they were aboard during privateering voyage.

He decided to remain behind on the island to overhaul the worm-infested vessel after landing - probably not realising it would be nearly five years before he would be rescued by a visiting English ship with Captain Woodes Rogers at the helm.

Indeed Captain 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.

Other accounts written shortly after his rescue describe how adept Selkirk had become at survival - shooting goats with a gun 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 Caldwell, of the National Museums Scotland, is pleased with the results of the dig.

He told website ScienceDaily: “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.'

It is unclear whether Defoe ever met Selkirk - but it is almost certain the author would have heard of the tales of his adventures when he penned the novel, published in 1719.

ScienceDaily (Sep. 20, 2005) — TOKYO (Sept. 15, 2005) --

On a remote, wooded island 470 miles off the coast of Chile, Japanese explorer Daisuke Takahashi believes he has found the location of the hut where Scottish privateer Alexander Selkirk, who likely inspired the Daniel Defoe classic "Robinson Crusoe," lived during the four years and four months he was marooned on the island 300 years ago.

Intrigued by the question of how a lone man could adapt to survive in such an unfamiliar environment, Takahashi wanted to find where and how Selkirk lived while stranded on the South Pacific island now known as Robinson Crusoe from 1704 to 1709. Aided by an islander's recollection of a dwelling high up on an abandoned trail, Takahashi and his international team, funded by the National Geographic Society's Expeditions Council, began excavations. The most telling evidence that Takahashi found to link Selkirk to the site was a small blue tip from copper navigational dividers, a tool commonly used by sailors of the period and almost certainly belonging to Selkirk.

The story of Takahashi's discovery is chronicled in the October 2005 issue of National Geographic Magazine, which is published in 27 local-language editions, including Spanish and Japanese.

Takahashi is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in London and The Explorers Club in New York. He is the author of the book "In Search of Robinson Crusoe."

                                                     The real Robinson Crusoe:

Archaeological island dig unearths fresh evidence of historical castaway

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