What is it about?
Over 100 years ago the remains of an ancient boat were found in a bog in southern Denmark. Archaeologists excavated the boat and determined that it belonged to seaborne raiders who had attacked Denmark some 2,400 years ago. Where these invaders had come from, however, has remained a mystery. Now archaeologists have used modern scientific methods to provide new clues on the origins of the seafarers who used Scandinavia’s oldest plank built boat.
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Photo by Christer Ehrling on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Seafaring has been central to Scandinavian culture for thousands of years. Intact archaeological remains of ancient boats, however, are exceedingly rare. The Hjortspring boat is the only example of a plank built boat that has ever been found from pre-Roman times. Studying this boat thus provides us with important clues as to the origins of Nordic maritime societies.
Perspectives
Working on such an important find with a great group of colleagues was a pleasure and honor. This work shows what can be accomplished through interdisciplinary collaboration across the sciences and humanities.
Mikael Fauvelle
Lunds Universitet
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: New investigations of the Hjortspring boat: Dating and analysis of the cordage and caulking materials used in a pre-Roman iron age plank boat, PLOS One, December 2025, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0336965.
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