Using direct and indirect evidence of boats and boatbuilding for understanding the nature of seafaring in Atlantic Europe c. 5000–500 BC

• Autores: Boel Bengtsson
• Localización: Presenting Counterpoints to the Dominant Terrestrial Narrative of European Prehistory / coord. por John T. Koch, Mikael Fauvelle, Barry Cunliffe, Johan Ling, 2025, ISBN 9798888571859, págs. 49-94
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This paper asks questions of what types of boats were used in prehistory along the Atlantic European façade and explores ways by which gaps in our current state of knoledge of these vessels can be filled. Regular seaafarinf in open water and along coasts where safe harbours are few and far between, places certain demands on boats, their maintenance, an the skills of their crew. Recent research intro trade and the migrations of peoples and ideas now indicates that such regular seafaring goes backmuch further in time than the current record of prehistoric boats within the region would suggest. Therefore, the existing fragmented evidence for vessels and their means of propulsion requires a new approach, whereby we examine what basic knowledge they convey of what would have been needed to make boats more suitable for long distance seafering, while contemplating the possibility that certain forms of boat technology and maritime expertise might have endured over a long time or been lost and regained. In this process, indirect evidence for boats, boatbuilding technology, the use of pddles and steering oars found within the archaeologically verified means of propulsion such as sail. Finally, this paper proposes a more hands-on approach in building reconstructions for the development of consistent categorization of different types of vessels for use in different environments.