Original Bronze Age Boat : Credit : Travelling Yarns
A critical stage of an extraordinary multi-national archaeological research project took place at Dover Harbour on Saturday 12 May 2012, but unfortunately things didn’t quite go to plan.
‘BOAT 1550 BC’, a project supported by the European Union (through its Interreg IV A ‘2 Seas’ programme), brings together seven partners from France, Belgium and Britain. Canterbury Christ Church University and Canterbury Archaeological trust play key roles in the project, with the University leading the educational activities.
The public launching ceremony saw the replica of the Dover Bronze Age Boat placed onto the sea for the first time, however sadly the seams of the boat began to take on water and it failed to stay afloat.
Despite disappointed faces and a crowd of onlookers, including Tony Robinson from Channel 4 documentary series, Time Team, the Boat was instead hoisted out of the water and displayed on Dover promenade on a trailer.
The half scale replica has been built by a team of specialist archaeologists for the past three months on the Roman Lawn at Dover Museum, just metres away from the underpass where the Bronze Age Boat was discovered in 1992. The boat had lain hidden for more than 3500 years deep under the centre of Dover and sparked several frantic days of rescue excavations to save it from destruction.
The ‘BOAT 1550 BC’ replica has been carefully replicated by expert archaeologists using replica Bronze Age tools thought to have been used during the initial construction over 3500 years ago. The build has taken place on the grounds of the museum where the now fully conserved vessel is housed in its own special environmentally-controlled gallery.
This piece of experimental archaeology will teach the team a great deal about the technology and capability of the Dover boat, one of the great archaeological discoveries of the twentieth century and a symbol of the close cultural links that existed between peoples on either side of the English Channel three and a half millennia ago.
Despite the set-back, the boat will still be taken to France, where it will form the centrepiece of a major multilingual, international exhibition ‘Beyond the Horizon: Societies of the Channel and North Sea 3,500 years ago’, which opens in Boulogne-sur-Mer on 30th June 2012, before moving to Belgium on the 16th December 2012 and to Dover on 1st July 2013.
Dr Anne Lehoërff, of the University of Lille 3 and chief co-ordinator of the project commented on the importance of the launch for the project: ‘The BOAT 1550 BC project is an exceptional opportunity to share the results of the most recent archaeological research in the Transmanche region with the public and in particular with children. The boat is a material symbol of a very ancient community that we have the chance to bring back to life in our three countries. The launch of the boat is a highlight of the project, an icon of the renaissance of these early connections’.
Talking prior to the launch, joint project leader and Canterbury Archaeological Trust Deputy Director, Peter Clark, said: “This is a red letter day for the people of Dover and indeed for all the communities living on either side of the English Channel. For the first time in over thirty centuries a boat of Bronze Age design will ply the waters off the coast of Dover, giving us a glimpse of the kind of vessel that helped bind the peoples on either coast into a single community three and a half millennia ago.
“Already we have learnt so much about the technological skills and sophistication of our Bronze Age ancestors by building the boat, and by launching it into the sea we hope to learn even more.”
Accompanying the exhibition will be an ambitious programme of educational activities and public outreach, aimed at increasing awareness of the common cultural heritage in the three countries. Teachers in France, Belgium and England are working closely together to deliver a wide range of events, involving classroom projects, competitions, public lectures and academic conferences among many other initiatives. The project is intended to capture the popular imagination of those living in the ‘Transmanche’ region, especially children and young people, and inspire them to explore our shared ancient past and common heritage.
William Stow, Head of Postgraduate Initial Teacher Education at Canterbury Christ Church University, which is part of the international team focusing on education, said: “Seeing the replica boat even just placed into the water in Dover, just metres from where it was originally found, is still a significant moment for history and archaeology in Dover and the region.
“The University is delighted to be involved in such an important project for people in this area, especially children who will be able to learn about vital parts of Bronze Age history through specially designed educational Bronze Age kits, including replica Bronze Age objects and original finds.”
The series of events will take place throughout 2012 when the 20th anniversary of the discovery of the boat takes place.
Spanning three countries, the seven partners involved in the project include: the University of Lille 3 and the Maison européenne des sciences de l’homme et de la société (France), acting as Lead Partner, the Canterbury Archaeological Trust (UK), l’Institut National de Recherches Archéologiques Préventives (France), Canterbury Christ Church University (UK), the University of Ghent (Belgium), the Conseil général du Pas-de-Calais (France) and the town of Boulogne-sur-Mer (France).
The project has also benefited from the financial support of the Conseil regional of Nord-Pas-de-Calais in France.
Visit http://boat1550bc.meshs.fr/for more information on the project.
May 20, 2012 at 10:53 am
I was at the launch and the poor chaps had only just finished building it that morning and, therefore, had not been waterproofed properly. Actually it was lovely to get that close to the boat and feel the wood, see the skill involved in its construction and the lovely smell it had!
Don't forget to look at my article on this site on the Dover Bronze Age Boat.
May 21, 2012 at 12:54 am
http://www.heritagedaily.com/2011/05/how-signific…