People used highly sophisticated boats to travel the Mediterranean Sea almost 7,000 years ago, according to a study published March 20, 2024, in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Juan F. Gibaja of the Spanish National Research Council, Barcelona, and colleagues.
Many of Europe’s most important civilizations arose on the banks of the Mediterranean Sea. During the Neolithic period, societies traveled and traded across the water, as demonstrated by watercraft in the archaeological record and villages on coasts and islands. Gibaja and colleagues reveal new insights into the history of nautical technology by analyzing canoes from the Neolithic lakefront settlement of La Marmotta near Rome, Italy.
Excavation at this site yielded five canoes made of hollowed-out trees (dugout canoes) dating from 5700 to 5100 BC. Analysis of these boats reveals that they are made of four distinct species of wood, which is unusual for similar settings, and that they use advanced construction techniques including transverse reinforcements.
One canoe is also related to three T-shaped wooden pieces, each with several holes that were most likely intended to secure ropes tied to sails or other nautical equipment. Their traits, together with prior reconstruction studies, suggest that they were seaworthy vessels, a conclusion confirmed by the discovery of stone implements associated with adjacent islands.
The authors regard these canoes as outstanding instances of archaic boats built with a thorough understanding of structural design and wood qualities, as well as well-organized specialist work.
The similarities between prehistoric boats and more current nautical technologies lend credence to the theory that many significant developments in sailing occurred during the early Neolithic. The authors propose that other boats may be kept near La Marmotta, providing a potential avenue for future research.
The authors continue, “Direct dating of Neolithic canoes from La Marmotta reveals them to be the oldest in the Mediterranean, offering invaluable insights into Neolithic navigation.” This study demonstrates the incredible technological competence of early agricultural and pastoral cultures, emphasizing their woodworking abilities and the production of intricate vessels.”
