An important discovery has been made in Lake Neuchâtel: an oak canoe from the Early Iron Age, some 2500 years old. The boat was extracted near Grandson (VD). It was found in a state of “remarkable preservation”.
“She is a very sick lady”. The metaphor is relatively colorful, of course, but Jean-Daniel Renaud, archaeologist in Neuchâtel, is right on one point: every precaution had to be taken to bring this venerable “lady” – a boat almost 2500 years old – back to surfaced last Friday. A delicate operation.
What is this astonishing discovery? A dugout canoe – made from a single piece of wood – just over 12 meters long. The boat rested at a depth of 3.5 meters on a sandbar on the north shore of Lake Neuchâtel, said the Cantonal Archeology of Vaud which unveiled the boat this Wednesday to the media.
Important discovery
The cantonal archaeologists were assisted by experts in underwater technique. The action required long months of preparation, they point out. The location and the discovery as such had been made in 2021, via an airship which carried out archaeological prospecting around the lake.
“This is an archaeological find of considerable importance for our understanding of the prehistory of the region. Its radiocarbon analysis dates it to between 750 and 520 BC, when the shores of the lakes no longer hosted villages. It is one of the very rare boats from this period in Switzerland, preserved almost in its entirety”, explains Nicole Pousaz, cantonal archaeologist.
Very large, very fragile
The canoe must be watered regularly, otherwise the wood risks drying out, cracking and falling into dust, explains Jean-Daniel Renaud, archaeologist. [Laurent Gillieron – Keystone]
“Part of the sides of the canoe was removed due to storms and the part that was in the sediment was very cracked. It is a very fragile object”, specified Jean-Daniel Renaud, founder of archéo développement at Cortaillod (NE), a company specializing in particular in underwater archaeology.
“It was made at the time on an oak trunk that was about 13 meters long. This kind of canoe, especially large, was mainly used for transporting goods and people or for fishing” , adds the archaeologist. It is one of the largest and most complete canoes discovered in Switzerland, according to the specialist.
The boat will be carefully transported to a specially designed environment for its in-depth study. Dating analyzes will be conducted to create a detailed three-dimensional (3D) model. These investigations will provide essential information to shed light on the past and the history of this artefact, further indicates the Cantonal Archeology.
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