Dover Bronze Age Boat

Dover Bronze Age boat is one of the few Bronze Age boats to be found in Britain. It dates to 1575-1520BC. The boat was made using oak planks sewn together with yew lashings. This technique has a long tradition of use in British prehistory; the oldest known examples are from Ferriby in east Yorkshire. It is currently on display at Dover Museum.

Dover Bronze Age boat on display at Dover Museum.

Discovery and excavation

On 28 September 1992, archaeologists from the Canterbury Archaeological Trust, working alongside construction workers for a new road link between Folkestone and Dover, uncovered what remained of a large prehistoric boat thought to be 3,500 years old.

After nearly a month of excavation 9.5 metres of the boat was eventually recovered. Depending on different views of the true size of the complete boat this 9.5 metres could be up to two thirds of the full size of the boat.

Conservation and re-assembly

Whilst in the ground the boat was significantly protected from being destroyed by waterlogging and a cover of silt which protected it from bacteria. After being removed from the ground the boat was kept in a waterlogged state at the Mary Rose Trust at Portsmouth. After a long process of preservation the boat returned to Dover Museum to be re-assembled in 1998.

References

• Clark, P. 2004. The Dover Bronze Age Boat. Swindon: English Heritage

External links

• Dover Museum's website about the discovery, excavation, preservation and display of the boat