Archaeologists have discovered a remarkably well-preserved dugout canoe from the Early Iron Age in Lake Neuchâtel in western Switzerland.
This content was published on
3 minutes
Keystone-SDA/ac
The 12.30-metre-long canoe was pulled out of the lake last Friday. It was resting at a depth of 3.5 metres on a sandbank on the north shore of the lake, according to the Vaud canton’s archaeology department. The canoe was unveiled to the press on Wednesday.
The cantonal archaeologists were assisted by experts in underwater salvage techniques. This delicate operation required many months of preparation. The location and discovery as such were made in 2021, via an airship that was carrying out archaeological prospecting around the lake.
“This is an archaeological discovery of considerable importance for our understanding of the prehistory of the region. Its radiocarbon analysis dates it to between 750 and 520 BC, a time when there were no villages on the shores of the lakes. It is one of the very few boats from this period in Switzerland that has been preserved almost in its entirety,” said cantonal archaeologist Nicole Pousaz.
More
More
How science is helping unearth ancient submerged Alpine settlements
This content was published on
Researchers continue to be surprised by new stilt house findings in and around the Alps and what remains to be uncovered.
“She’s a very sickly old lady. Part of the sides of the canoe were torn out by storms and the portion buried in the sediment was very cracked. It’s a very fragile object,” Jean-Daniel Renaud, who runs a company specialising in the technical aspects of underwater and terrestrial archaeology, told press agency Keystone-SDA.
“It was made at the time from an oak trunk about 13 metres long and about a metre in diameter. This type of canoe, which was particularly large, was mainly used for transporting goods and people or for fishing,” added Renaud. It is one of the largest and most complete canoes of its kind to have been discovered in Switzerland, according to the specialist.
The boat will be carefully transported to a specially equipped facility for in-depth study. Dendrochronological dating analyses and photogrammetry combined with laser measurements will be carried out to create a detailed three-dimensional (3D) model. These investigations will provide essential information to shed light on the past and history of this artefact.
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Politics
Why cars still reign supreme in ‘rail-nation’ Switzerland
Swiss central banker wants to boost equity to head off risks
This content was published on
Equity levels at the Swiss National Bank (SNB) are much too low for the risks its large balance sheet poses, according to Martin Schlegel.
Beer sales in Switzerland watered down by bad weather
This content was published on
The past brewing year fell through in Switzerland, partly due to the bad weather. Beer sales shrank again. For the first time, per capita consumption fell below the 50 liter mark.
Compensation for Syrian after pregnant wife denied help on Swiss train
This content was published on
Switzerland’s Federal Court has partially upheld the appeal of a Syrian family being deported from Switzerland to Italy in 2014. The man now also receives compensation.
Swiss-EU negotiations: Cassis to meet Sefcovic in Bern
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis will meet the Vice-President of the EU Commission, Maros Sefcovic, in Bern on Wednesday.
How a hobby archaeologist uncovered a Roman battle site
This content was published on
A dentist and his metal detector find the unique remains of a 2,000-year-old battle between Roman soldiers and Swiss warriors.
This content was published on
Archaeologists have, for the first time, found traces of a Bronze Age lakeside village under the surface of Lake Lucerne.
This content was published on
It’s ten years since over a hundred ancient stilt villages sites in the Alps received UNESCO World Heritage status. These sites have been found in lakes, rivers and bogs in Switzerland, Germany, Italy, France, Austria, and Slovenia. Improved research methods have helped archaeologists learn much more about the civilizations that lived in these now-submerged villages.…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.