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WonderBronze Age engineering fact

The Dover Bronze Age Boat, found under a road in Dover in 1992, was built about 3,500 years ago from oak planks sewn together with yew and made watertight with moss and animal fat.

Kent, England, c. 1550 BCE

ArchaeologyEngineeringTechnologyOcean

The story behind the card

Workers building the A20 road between Folkestone and Dover uncovered the boat on 28 September 1992, six metres below the surface. Waterlogged, airless ground had kept the oak from rotting. Archaeologists worked for nearly a month to lift a 9.5-metre section; the rest ran under nearby buildings and had to be left in place. The planks are held together by twisted yew stems and by wooden wedges driven through cleats, raised blocks carved out of the planks themselves. It is dated to about 1575 to 1520 BCE, which makes it one of the oldest seagoing boats known. Whether it ever crossed the Channel is still debated. It is on display in Dover Museum.

Türkçe oku
Dover Tunç Çağı Teknesi 1992'de Dover'da bir yolun altında bulundu. Yaklaşık 3.500 yıl önce meşe kalasların porsuk dallarıyla birbirine dikilmesiyle yapılmış, ek yerleri yosun ve hayvansal yağla su geçirmez hâle getirilmişti.
Kent, İngiltere, MÖ 1550 dolayları

Folkestone ile Dover arasındaki A20 yolunu yapan işçiler tekneyi 28 Eylül 1992'de, yerin altı metre altında buldu. Suya doymuş, havasız toprak meşenin çürümesini önlemişti. Arkeologlar yaklaşık bir ay çalışarak 9,5 metrelik bir bölümü çıkardı; yakındaki binaların altına uzanan geri kalanı yerinde bırakmak zorunda kaldılar. Kalaslar, burulmuş porsuk dallarıyla ve kalasların üzerine oyulmuş çıkıntılardan geçirilen tahta kamalarla birbirine tutturulmuş. Tekne MÖ 1575–1520 dolaylarına tarihleniyor; bu da onu bilinen en eski deniz teknelerinden biri yapıyor. Manş Denizi'ni geçip geçmediği hâlâ tartışılıyor. Tekne bugün Dover Müzesi'nde sergileniyor.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Dover Bronze Age Boat
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