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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsEight bronze age boats surface at Fens creek in record find
3,000-year-old fleet discovered in a Cambridgeshire quarry on the outskirts of Peterborough
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/jun/04/eight-prehistoric-boats-bronze-age
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A fleet of eight prehistoric boats, including one almost nine metres long, has been discovered in a Cambridgeshire quarry on the outskirts of Peterborough.
The vessels, all deliberately sunk more than 3,000 years ago, are the largest group of bronze age boats ever found in the same UK site and most are startlingly well preserved. One is covered inside and out with decorative carving described by conservator Ian Panter as looking "as if they'd been playing noughts and crosses all over it". Another has handles carved from the oak tree trunk for lifting it out of the water. One still floated after 3,000 years and one has traces of fires lit on the wide flat deck on which the catch was evidently cooked.
Several had ancient repairs, including clay patches and an extra section shaped and pinned in where a branch was cut away. They were preserved by the waterlogged silt in the bed of a long-dried-up creek, a tributary of the river Nene, which buried them deep below the ground.
"There was huge excitement over the first boat, and then they were phoning the office saying they'd found another, and another, and another, until finally we were thinking, 'Come on now, you're just being greedy,'" Panter said.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)At the risk of outing myself as a complete dweeb, I am passionately interested in ancient shipbuilding and sailing. This is a huge find.
malaise
(268,930 posts)How do they know they were deliberately sunk?
Recursion
(56,582 posts)You basically kick out the keelson until the seam breaks, and then walk up to the bowsprit to separate the leaves. I'm pretty sure no accident or battle damage looks like that.
muriel_volestrangler
(101,306 posts)"The boats were deliberately sunk into the creek, as several still had slots for transoms boards closing the stern of the boat which had been removed."
malaise
(268,930 posts)Thanks
onlyadream
(2,166 posts)Some were like new, and some had good, long wood which could have been reused. I bet they sunk them to hide the boats , so either they wouldn't be stolen, or to keep from enemies seeing what they had.
hunter
(38,310 posts)"Nope, we're all just mud farmers here." (Grabs handful of muddy worms and eats them.) "Hungry?"
madokie
(51,076 posts)Thanks
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)malaise
(268,930 posts)FailureToCommunicate
(14,012 posts)thanks!
xchrom
(108,903 posts)life long demo
(1,113 posts)Thank you for posting the article.
malaise
(268,930 posts)Earth_First
(14,910 posts)How cool!
Thanks for the OP!
malaise
(268,930 posts)rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)LadyHawkAZ
(6,199 posts)Tree-Hugger
(3,370 posts)I love this stuff. Thanks for sharing!