2012 BC : Bronze Age Boat

2012 BC : Bronze Age Boat In April 2012 a project to build a 16m replica of an Early Bronze Age sewn-plank boat began at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall.

The project is an experiment in archaeology and is due to be completed in January 2013. Working with expert archaeologists, we hope to reconstruct the type of boat that would have been used in prehistoric Britain. We will be using the technologies and tools available around 4000 years ago. This type of boat is called a sewn-plank boat. Nails had not yet been invented so the planks of wood that mad

e up the boat were sewn together using yew withies. The boats were caulked (made watertight) with moss. This type of boat is unique to the British Isles and examples have been found from the Bristol Channel to the Humber. Our boat will be based on the most complete example found to date from North Ferriby on the Humber, and is around 4000 years old. The sewn-plank boats played an important role in connecting people in Britain, Europe and Ireland from c.2300BC, facilitating the early exchange of metals and expanding global social and trade networks. This project is a collaborative partnership between the Universities of Exeter and Southampton, Oxford Brookes University and the National Maritime Museum Cornwall. The project is sponsored by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) under its Knowledge Transfer Fellowship scheme.

24/04/2015

Shipwright who built replicas of a Bronze Age boat, a Viking trading vessel and John Cabot’s caravel

09/09/2014

We seem to be in the middle of a flurry of media attention! We're on TV again this week, this time a BBC2 documentary about Stonehenge on Thursday evening at 8pm.

A group of archaeologists use a new approach to uncover the very origins of Stonehenge.

Did anyone catch the Time Team Special on the Dover Boat last night? http://www.channel4.com/programmes/time-team-specia...
08/09/2014

Did anyone catch the Time Team Special on the Dover Boat last night?

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/time-team-specials/4od


Time Team Specials on 4 on Demand. Watch Time Team Specials online when you want on 4oD. Tony Robinson uncovers the shocking truth behind some of the most gruesome events of the 19th century, when criminals would break open graves at night to steal freshly buried bodies. Serial murderers like Burke…

29/07/2014

Just in case you missed tonight's episode of Coast you can watch again on the BBC iPlayer. The section on the Bronze Age boat can be found about 17 minutes in.

Nick Crane visits Cornwall for an artistic exploration of Britain's coast.

17/04/2014

Professor Robert Van de Noort et al have now published their paper on the construction of Morgawr. A fascinating read.

The International Journal for Nautical Archaeology paper on the construction of Morgawr is now available

Thank you to Mark Jenkin and Paul Inman for producing this beautiful film about the project. It's 40 minutes long and wo...
14/10/2013

Thank you to Mark Jenkin and Paul Inman for producing this beautiful film about the project. It's 40 minutes long and worth watching every second.

In spring 2012 three oak trees were delivered to the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, UK. This marked the beginning of an experimental archeology project to build…

Fab video of more sea trials this Saturday. Well done to the Helford River Gig club for getting the beast under control!
02/04/2013

Fab video of more sea trials this Saturday. Well done to the Helford River Gig club for getting the beast under control!

Video of Morgawr, the replica bronze age boat, undergoing some trial manoeuvres during her second sea trials outing.

The sea trials on Saturday were a great success! Strong easterlies didn’t help, but with a sterling effort from the Helf...
27/03/2013

The sea trials on Saturday were a great success! Strong easterlies didn’t help, but with a sterling effort from the Helford River Gig club, Morgawr was out on the water for around an hour. Lots of lessons have been learnt about steering and handling. More trials to follow!

20/03/2013

If you live locally keep your eyes peeled on the water on Saturday. Sea trials to commence, complete with gig crew, in the afternoon!

13/03/2013

After a week sitting in the water we've switched off the pumps and we're pleased to report that the boat is dry! Sea trials to commence soon...

11/03/2013

In all the excitement last week we may have forgotten to mention the results of poll to name the boat. The Bronze Age boat is called Morgawr in case you hadn't already worked it out!

11/03/2013

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Falmouth
TR114

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01326 313388

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