| Fiskerton log boat | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Material | Wood (Oak) |
| Size | 6 m |
| Created | 457/6-300 BC |
| Discovered | Banks of the River Witham near Fiskerton, Lincolnshire |
| Present location | The Collection, Lincoln |
The Fiskerton log boat is an Iron Age log boat, found during excavations in 2001 on the banks of the River Witham near Fiskerton, Lincolnshire. [1]
The earliest excavations on the site were undertaken in 1981 by Naomi Field and Mike Parker Pearson, who discovered an Iron Age timber causeway with Iron Age and Roman votive offerings associated with it. [2]
The 2001 excavations uncovered more of the timber causeway, used during the Iron Age by the Corieltavi tribe to deposit valuable objects into the waters as ritual offerings. The Witham Shield may have been one such object. The Fiskerton log boat was made from a single oak tree trunk, and still bears axe marks from its manufacture. It was deliberately sunk as an offering and may have been specially made for this purpose. [3]
The process of the excavation at Fiskerton was the subject of a Meet the Ancestors Special entitled "Celtic Causeway", first aired on 27 March 2002.[ citation needed ]
The boat measures approximately 6 m in length and was worked from a single oak tree trunk. [4] It has a bowed bow and a square stern, closed by a board slotted into a groove. This type of boat most likely would have been used to travel along rivers, transporting goods. [5]
The causeway has been dated using dendrochronology to date between 457/6–300 BC. As well as a second Iron Age boat, other votive offerings from the excavations include: a complete spear, a currency bar, a sword, a dagger, and some bronze fittings. [1]
The boat first went on public display in March 2006 at The Collection, Lincoln. [6]
Lincoln is a cathedral city and district in Lincolnshire, England, of which it is the county town. In the 2021 Census, the city's district had a population of 103,813. The 2021 census gave the urban area of Lincoln, including Bracebridge Heath, North Hykeham, South Hykeham and Waddington, a recorded population of 127,540.
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Lincolnshire is a large county in England with a sparse population distribution, which leads to problems funding all sorts of transport. The transport history is long and varied, with much of the road network still based on the Roman model, and the once extensive rail network a shadow of its former self.
This page lists major events of 2001 in archaeology.
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