2024-09-22 11:00:01 :
People of the Pitted Pottery Culture (PWC) of ancient Scandinavia may have built boats out of animal skins, possibly sealskin, for fishing, hunting and trading, a new study suggests. The PWC were a group of Neolithic hunter-gatherers who lived between 3500 and 2300 BC in the region around the Baltic and North Seas. They were heavily dependent on the sea for their survival, and they relied on maritime activities, especially seal hunting, as shown by the large number of seal bones found in their settlements.
Sealskins and sea travel
Mikael Fauvel, a researcher at Lund University in Sweden, told Live Science that seals were not only hunted for food, but also played an important role in the manufacture of ships. Seal skins and oil extracted from seal blubber were likely used in the construction and maintenance of ships.
Archaeologists have found traces of seal oil in pottery, suggesting that people at the time had plenty of it. A study published in the Journal of Maritime Archaeology suggests that boats made from the material were strong enough to make long voyages, which was essential given their reliance on sea travel.
Long-distance trade and seafaring
The PwC ships had to travel long distances between islands such as Gotland and Åland, so boats made of seal skin were ideal for such journeys. Primitive alternatives, such as canoes made from hollow logs, were not large enough to make such long journeys. These boats might be large enough to transport up to a dozen people and animals, including deer and bears.
Evidence from rock paintings and fragments
While physical evidence of these vessels remains scarce, small fragments found in northern Sweden and rock paintings depicting the vessels offer clues. Some images show harpoon holders on the vessels that resemble animal heads. These drawings, as well as fragments of the boat holders, suggest that PWC seafaring technology was highly advanced.
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