Presentation

Reconstruction of the boat

As part of the BOAT 1550 BC project, a programme of experimental archaeology is planned.

The most important aspect of this is the construction of a replica of the boat discovered in 1992 whose plan has been established thanks to 15 years of study by a team of international experts.

Primary log conversion 4th-9th January 2012 © BOAT

The boat was about 18 metres long, with a width of 3 metres. On board, it was crewed by sixteen people using paddles to manoeuvre. All the materials used in the construction of the boat have been identified, along with the tools used to build it; the method of construction was so complex that only specialised shipwrights could have made it.  Early in 2012 a team of experts will gather in Dover to reconnect with the earliest example of marine carpentry in European history.  The construction of the boat will take place over several weeks, and this experimental archaeology will be filmed and photographed, open to the media by arrangement and also to the public from time to time.  A half-scale vessel will be constructed, using the techniques and materials of 1550 BC.  The boat will be launched before the public and the media in May 2012.  After this it will move to Boulogne-sur-Mer (France) for the first phase of the project exhibition.

Reconstruction Day 1 © BOAT1550BC

Other experiments are also planned as part of the project, in particular the casting of metal axes typical of the Bronze Age which will be used to build the boat.

The BOAT 1550 BC team would love to fully reconnect with this ancient history; to build a sister ship, cross the channel and bring together the peoples of both sides would be an extraordinary adventure.  Making a ‘little brother’ at half scale is a first step that will help raise public awareness and to move closer, perhaps sometime soon, to realising this second step.