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New investigations of the Hjortspring boat: Dating and analysis of the cordage and caulking materials used in a pre-Roman iron age plank boat

  • 0Lund University, Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Lund, Sweden.
Plos One +

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December 10, 2025

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December 10, 2025

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The Hjortspring boat, a prehistoric sewn plank vessel, was carbon dated to 381-161 BCE. Analysis reveals its construction materials suggest an origin in the Baltic Sea region, not Jutland.

Area Of Science

  • Archaeology
  • Maritime History
  • Materials Science

Background

  • The Hjortspring boat is Scandinavia's sole intact prehistoric sewn plank vessel.
  • It exemplifies early Northern European maritime technology, constructed with lime wood planks and cordage.

Purpose Of The Study

  • To conduct new analyses on the cordage and caulking materials of the Hjortspring boat.
  • To establish a direct date for the boat and investigate its construction techniques and origin.

Main Methods

  • Radiocarbon dating of lime bast cordage.
  • Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of caulking material.
  • Microscopic analysis of cordage fragments and caulking imprints.

Main Results

  • The boat's cordage was carbon dated to 381-161 BCE.
  • Caulking material comprised animal fat and pine pitch, suggesting a non-Jutland origin due to pine forest distribution.
  • Analysis detailed ancient sewing and rope-making techniques, and a human fingerprint was discovered on caulking.

Conclusions

  • The Hjortspring boat dates to the late first millennium BCE.
  • Its construction, particularly the use of pine pitch, points to an origin in the Baltic Sea region.
  • The findings offer new insights into early Scandinavian boat-building and maritime societies.