The Ferriby Boats

 



The Ferriby Boats 




From "New AMS radiocarbon dates for the North Ferriby boats - A contribution to dating prehistoric seafaring in northwestern Europe" by Alex Bayliss et al


"Introduction

The Ferriby boats (F1, F2 and F3) were discovered on the Humber foreshore between 1937 and 1963 (Wright &Wright 1939; Wright 1990; FIGURES1&2).

All three boats have been dated to the Bronze Age and are similar in design: planks are stitched together with yew withies, and systems of cleats with transverse timbers provide structural integrity to the hull, which was perhaps amplified by inserted frames. 

These craft, with other related British finds, constitute an unparalleled series that provides insight into the mechanisms of prehistoric transport. 

Previously, it was generally assumed that these boats were used predominantly for inland water transport, but a more recent assessment argued that the craft were used for long-distance exchange, including seafaring (Van de Noort et al. 1999). 

Sewn-plank boats are so-far unique to the coastal wafers of England and Wales, sharply contrasting with the distribution of log-boats of prehistoric date which concentrate around inland waterways. 

No prehistoric sewn-plank craft are known from the Continent, except for the much later Hjortspring canoe from Iron Age Denmark (Rosenberg 1937). 

When F1 and F2were excavated in 1946, radiocarbon dating had not been discovered, and their conservation preceded the first attempts to date the boats by radiocarbon assay. F3 was discovered in 1963, but conserved without samples being removed for dating. The sample size required for conventional (radiometric) dating meant that uncontaminated short-lived material could not be obtained for each boat. Furthermore, the chemical processing that could be applied was constrained by the limited amount of wood available. The current dating programme was prompted by the concentration of the surviving timbers in Hull and East Riding Museum in the early 199os, facilitating the selection of short-lived samples from each boat for AMS dating."



F1. OxA-7457, OxA-9236-7 and OxA-9519-20 1880-1680 cal BC 

F2. OxA-7458andOxA-9521-2 1940-1720 cal AC 

F3.  OxA-9198-9 and OxA-9524. 2030-1780 cal BC 



*


Index


The rich history of archaeology on Orkney provides source material for the following observations.

"Neolithic Migrants to Orkney" The story of the First, Founding Immigrants to Orkney 

"A Bizarre Idea" What's the Story, then?

"Walkable land in the North Sea" describes evidence that walkable land was present between Norfolk and Holland at a time when prehistoric people were occupying northern Europe. 

"Archaeology in the North Sea" looks at the elusive evidence that people could have walked from Caithness to South Ronaldsay. 

"3000BC" gives detailed evidence of tsunami events on the Norwegian Coast.

 "A Brief Guide to the Last Glaciation" How did the North Sea develop?

"Mainland Settlements" discusses and dates the early settlements across mainland Orkney.

"Barnhouse" describes this "Neolithic Village" a substantial group of Neolithic structures on the shore of Harray Loch. 

"Barnhouse Sweat Lodge" describes Structure 8, the Sweat Lodge at Barnhouse.

"Modern Sweat Lodge Practices" describes present day Sweat Lodge ceremonies.

"The Stones of Stenness" describes anomalies in the settings of the stones that formed the stone circle.

"The Ring of Brodgar" discusses just how many stones are there, or are not there, at the Ring of Brodgar. 

 "A Custom Among the Lower Class of People" , about 18th century Orkney people and the Stones at Brodgar. 

"Maeshowe, a Wonder of the Neolithic World" is the personal account of the excavation of the Maeshowe Cairn by the man who excavated it. I include it because it is so personal, not because it adds anything to our understanding. 

"Cairns of Orkney" is the commentary of several antiquarian archaeologists writing in previous centuries as they excavated Cairns in England, Scotland, and Orkney. Although these cairns may not have been excavated to a high standard, the commentary provided in these reports is, in my view, very personal, and highly approachable. 

"Cairns and the People in them" examines the bones of the people who were laid in cairns, and tells their stories.

"The Westrays" describes the Knap of Howar settlement, and the desolation of the islands that were found by the people of the Links of Noltland when they settled there at the end of the 3rd millennium BC. 

"Skara Brae, RCAHMS" is the official description of the Neolithic "Village"

"Skara Brae, Excavation", is an account of the excavation of Hut 7 in 1927. This is an interesting personal account of the Gordon Childe's Excavation by J Wilson Paterson.

"Dating Skara Brae" gives detailed dating evidence for Skara Brae 

"The Ness of Brodgar Excavation" and account of the excavation , before 2020, by Nick Card. 

"Dating the Ness of Brodgar" gives Dating evidence for the Ness of Brodgar 

"The Ferriby Boats" The first seafaring vessels? 

"The Orkney Vole" discusses the evidence that the Orkney Vole migrated from Europe to Orkney without setting foot on mainland Britain.

Bere Barley, a Neolithic grain derivations of Bere Barley. 

"Concluding" , some simple remarks in conclusion.

"Finally" closing remarks.

Sources 



All views and opinions expressed are my own, but it remains a work-in-progress for which positive criticism and comment is welcomed.


Jeffery Nicholls 


South Ronaldsay 


Orkney 


Jiffynorm@yahoo.co.uk 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Orkney Riddle

  Orkney Riddle   By Jeffery Nicholls  How did Neolithic Orcadians travel to Orkney in large numbers to build the cairns, henges, and settlements that we visit today. (Abbreviated version for blog. Omits technical data and some detailed commentary) The Bizarre Idea  I could never quite believe that Neolithic people came to Orkney by boat. As it is thought that they brought cattle and sheep with them, I could not envisage any animal, or any human, surviving a sea crossing of any British tidal waters in any prehistoric vessel.  Standard sources tie themselves in knots to persuade us that Neolithic people had boats that could carry beasts of both sexes that, once landed, would reproduce and help their tribe to survive on the unknown territory across the dangerous waters.  However, evidence has recently emerged that added another dimension to the problem. It was discovered that the Orkney Vole, a species that is unique to the archipelago, had been found by DNA ...
Read more

The Orkney Vole

The Orkney Vole " Much debate surrounds the origins of the Orkney vole Microtus arvalis orcadensis (Yalden 1999; Corbet 1961). It is the only vole on Orkney and is found on eight islands, while in mainland Britain the field vole (M. agrestis) is the only Microtus species. M. arvalis and M. agrestis occur widely across continental Europe with overlapping distributions (Mitchell-Jones et al 2003). It is therefore clear that M. arvalis did not colonise Orkney naturally (Haynes et al 2003; Haynes et al 2004), and although modern consensus supports a human introduction during the Neolithic (Hedges et al 1987), their geographic origin and mechanisms of introduction still remain uncertain ." (Thomas Cucchi et al)  This meant that the animal that arrived in Orkney did not pass through England, Wales or Scotland.  A vole arriving in Orkney, from Europe, without passing through Britain was a clue that all was not as it seems, and that in spite of the insistence of some that voles ma...
Read more

Skara Brae, Childe’s Excavation

Image
  Skara Brae Childe’s Excavation  Structure 7 (above) is the most complete building found at Skara Brae. It’s condition is preserved, and it is barred from public access. A copy has been reconstructed for the benefit of the visiting public, as part of the site entrance and museum. All the other main structures were discovered in the Late 19th century, but this one was found by V. Gordon Childe’s team in 1927-30. The following is Paterson's account of Childe’s excavation. In many places the record says much more about the author than it does about his subject, and for that reason it’s fascinating. "Provisional Report on the Excavations at Skara Brae, and on finds from the 1927 and 1928 Campaigns by Professor V. Gordon Childe and J. Wilson Paterson, (The Excavation in 1927, by  J. Wilson Paterson.)" “Exploring in pure sand...... the top of a firm wall came to light 2 ‘feet 6 inches below the turf. It was then followed round counter-clockwise until the whole superficial ar...
Read more