Ancient Scandinavians used boats made of leather - new discovery by archaeologists

A recent study by Dr Mikael Fovell and colleagues, published in the Journal of Maritime Archaeology, suggests that members of the Neolithic Pitted Ware Culture (PWC) may have used leather boats for travelling, trading, hunting and fishing.

The PWC culture existed in what is now Scandinavia between 3500 and 2300 BC.

This culture was unusual among other European hunter-gatherers in that they continued to rely on fishing and seal hunting despite the spread of agriculture in Europe. Unlike other peoples, the PWC were slow to adopt agriculture and remained true to their traditional occupations.

One of the features of PWC culture was its long sea voyages across the Baltic Sea and the Kattegat and Skagerrak Straits. Archaeological finds, such as stone tools and pottery, indicate an active exchange with areas of present-day Sweden, Denmark and Finland. However, for such movements they needed reliable ships, evidence of which is extremely rare.

In many parts of the world during this period, canoes hollowed out of tree trunks were used for travelling by water. Some such boats have also been found at PWC sites. However, their small size, not exceeding a few metres, made them unsuitable for the open sea.

Dr Fauvel and his colleagues suggest that leather boats were more suitable for long-distance sea crossings than hollowed-out canoes. They believe that such boats may have been the primary means of transport for the PWC, especially in high seas. According to Fauvel, this technology may have contributed to the increased maritime trade and raids that characterised the Neolithic period.

Although leather boats are poorly preserved in archaeological strata, scientists rely on circumstantial evidence such as bone boat frames, petroglyphs, and finds of seal oil and tools. Possible frames for such boats made from reindeer antlers have been found in northern Germany and Sweden, which also points to the practice of making leather boats.

In addition, rock art from Northern Scandinavia includes depictions of boats that resemble leather vessels. Some of these petroglyphs were created during the time of the PWC and depict scenes of whale and seal hunting and fishing, activities that were important to this culture. These depictions bear a striking resemblance to the "umiak" boats used by the Inuit peoples.

Further indirect evidence of the use of leather boats can be found at PWC sites. Large quantities of seal remains, as well as tools such as leather scrapers and awls too large for sewing clothes, indicate that this culture may have used sealskins to make boats. They also required large quantities of seal fat, which was used for water-repellent treatment.

The researchers suggest that leather boats played a key role in the lives of PWC people, helping them to hunt seals and fish, as well as to travel by sea.