More than 7,000 years ago, Neolithic people used technologically sophisticated boats to navigate the Mediterranean Sea, according to a new study.
The 7,300-year-old canoe Marmotta 1 is on display at the Museum of Civilization in Rome. It is a huge dugout canoe made from an oak trunk, approximately 10.43 meters long, 1.15 meters wide at the stern, and 0.85 meters wide at the bow. Depending on the part of the canoe, the height is 65 to 44 cm. Image credit: Gibaja other., doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299765.
Many of Europe's most important civilizations were born along the Mediterranean coast.
The Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, and Carthaginians took advantage of the virtually enclosed sea to move quickly between islands along the coast.
At various times in history, the Mediterranean Sea has been a space of travel and a means of communication.
However, one of the major migration phenomena in history occurred during the Neolithic period, when rural societies began to spread around Europe and North Africa.
The beginning of the Neolithic period is recorded in the Near East around 10,000 BC, but communities from that region gradually occupied the entire Mediterranean Sea around 7500-7000 BC, reaching the coast of Portugal around 5400 BC.
In a new study, Dr. Juan Guibaja and colleagues from Spain's National Research Council dug out a tree from La Marmotta, a Neolithic lakeside village near Rome, Italy, between 5700 and 5100 BC. Five dugout canoes that were built were investigated.
Analysis revealed that the canoe was constructed from four types of wood, which is unusual for similar sites, and incorporated advanced construction techniques such as lateral reinforcement.
Three T-shaped wooden objects are also associated with one canoe, each with a series of holes that may have been used to secure ropes tied to sails or other nautical elements. there is.
These features, together with previous reconstruction experiments, indicate that these are seaworthy vessels, a conclusion supported by the presence of stone tools associated with nearby islands.
“These canoes are exceptional examples of prehistoric vessels, and their construction required a well-organized and specialized workforce, as well as a detailed understanding of structural design and wood properties,” the researchers said. said.
“The similarities between these canoes and modern navigation technology support the idea that many major advances in sailing took place during the early Neolithic period.”
“Direct dating of a Neolithic canoe discovered at La Marmotta reveals it to be the oldest in the Mediterranean and provides valuable insight into Neolithic navigation,” the study said. they added.
“Our research reveals the remarkable technological sophistication of early agricultural and pastoral communities, highlighting their woodworking skills and complex shipbuilding.”
of study Published in an online journal PLoS ONE.
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JF Gibaha other. 2024. The first Neolithic ship in the Mediterranean: the settlement of La Marmotta (Anguillara Sabazia, Lazio, Italy). PLoS ONE 19 (3): e0299765; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299765
Source: www.sci.news
