(CN) - Scientists unveiled new evidence about the mysterious origins of a prehistoric Scandinavian boat made of sewn together wooden planks, asserting the early Iron Age vessel was built with materials far east of where it was found.
A study published with the open-access journal PLOS One on Wednesday reveals clues to the 2,400-year-old boat's enigmatic beginnings.
Lead author Mikael Fauvelle, an associate professor and researcher in the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History at Lund University in Sweden, believes the pine pitch used as a caulking agent must have come from a region along the Baltic Sea, as Denmark was mostly cleared of evergreen forests long before the boat was dated.
"We cannot say exactly where the boat came from, but it probably did not come from anywhere near where it was found in modern-day Denmark," Fauvelle said in an email.
"There were many coastal areas of the Baltic Sea that did have abundant pine forests at this time, and most of these regions were further to the east - these included northern Poland, the regions of the current Baltic States and the eastern coasts of modern-day Sweden."
Rediscovered and excavated from a bog on the Danish island of Als during the early 1920s, the Hjortspring boat currently is on display in the National Museum of Denmark.
"Regardless of which pine-forest-rich area it came from, we can say it likely traveled a long way to get to Als," Fauvelle said.
The researchers used carbon dating, gas chromatography and mass spectrometry - chemistry techniques that help identify molecular compounds - to determine the previously unobserved sealant was most likely made of pine pitch and animal fat. A sewn plank boat used cordage to lash together planks instead of metal nails.
The crew of the watercraft were likely warriors, according to the researchers, voyaging to the Danish islands to attack their inhabitants.
"This was a boat that was designed for war," Fauvelle said. "Reconstructions and digital voyage models show it could have traveled quickly. This would have been critical to surprise an enemy."
He noted one vessel could have held around 20 warriors and estimated the force that attacked Als was comprised of four boats. Fauvelle said the weapons and gear of around 80 warriors were found in the bog. They were given as an offering together with the boat, the scientists hypothesized.
"The defenders probably kept the other three boats for themselves," Fauvelle said. "Or perhaps they got away with some of the survivors of the attacking party."
Previous hypotheses suggested the invaders were originally from much closer to the location of the excavation site, but the pine pitch finding "forces us to look further afield," Fauvelle said.
"The question of where the boat, and the attackers, came from has been an open question for around 100 years," he said. "This is exciting as it means that political conflicts during the time may have been wide-ranging and quite complex."
Fauvelle also noted that a partial fingerprint on a bit of the caulking material was found, an extremely rare artifact for this region and time, he said.
"There is little concrete we can say about the fingerprint at the moment, but we might be able to get DNA from it in the future."
Source: Courthouse News Service
