ABSTRACT
Antarctica was the last vast territory to be known and exploited by humans. Their presence in the region acquired different characteristics over time. In the nineteenth century, sealers exploited animal resources on the South Shetland Islands to feed the capitalist market of oil and skins. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, explorers representing different nations ventured into the continent with the purpose of expanding geographical knowledge. The official history of Antarctica has placed much more attention on the late romantic ‘exploration’ than on the early economic exploitation. Even though historians have studied the role of sealers in the discovery of the South Shetland Islands, chronicled their voyages, and discussed the economic relevance of sealing in the region, the efforts made by archaeologists in the last twenty years have contributed to learning more about the lives of the ordinary sealers who worked in the region.
