Research project Local clinker-building: new information from previous finds
In 2021, UNESCO inscribed Nordic clinker-boat traditions on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. At first glance, knowledge of clinker-built vessels appears comprehensive.
Archaeological research has focused on ships from the Viking period, and museums and local initiatives have also shown interest in vernacular traditional boats. However, the knowledge of boat-building practices between the Viking vessels and the traditional boats is surprisingly deficient. These medieval and early modern vessels are of interest in this project.
Project description
Need for research
Archaeological ship and boat finds from the medieval and early modern periods are not lacking. On the contrary, this category accounts for the bulk of the archaeological material kept in museum storage in Nordic countries. Many of these vessels, which have been known for a long period, have received surprisingly little research and attention. The reasons for this are not the lack of scientific questions to illuminate these findings but rather the lack of methods to answer questions of the date and provenance of the vessels.
Dendrochronology
In recent decades, dendrochronology has developed radically and offers completely new possibilities for the dating and provenance of archaeological wood. This means a unique opportunity to shed new light on finds excavated long ago, before the "dendrochronological revolution". It also includes new possibilities for previously known shipwrecks that have never been adequately excavated or investigated.
By conducting dendrochronological analysis and archaeological fieldwork on selected ship finds, we expect to obtain more detailed basic knowledge to illuminate regional clinker-building traditions in the Nordic countries.
Activation of ship finds in museum storage
In this project, which we believe is the start of a more extensive project in the future, including more empirical case studies, we will analyse four vessels from Kalmar (Boat I, III, V and XII). Boat XII is an example of an early carvel-built ship that was included to highlight the diversity of Scandinavian boat building in the early modern period. They were all excavated in the 1930s by Harald Åkerlund, who published his results in 1951. The material remains a vital reference material for archaeologists worldwide but is problematic because it lacks valid dating and provenance determination. That is why we want to take samples for dendrochronological analysis from a selection of the finds.
In connection with Tori Falck's ongoing doctoral work, we have also selected a boat find from Norway This is the Sjøvollen ship that was excavated in the 1960s. The ship is dated around 1280 CE and has many similarities with some of the Kalmar finds. For the Sjøvollen vessel, we are working with particular topics related to construction phases and provenance.
’Lodjor’ outside Dalarö sea fortress
In connection with the larger research project The Forgotten Fleet (The Lost Navy. Sweden's "Blue" Heritage ca 1450-1850), we are also doing dendrochronological sampling of five ‘lodjor’ submerged at Dalarö Fortress in the Stockholm archipelago. Several coincidences indicate that five wrecks intentionally scuttled to block the passage between Dalarö Fortress and Aspön (island) are identical to some worn and badly weathered vessels mentioned in the Admiralty's correspondence in the winter of 1659-1660. The vessels had no names but were referred to based on the district that built and equipped them. Underwater archaeological fieldwork is required to determine whether the wrecks are identical to the vessels mentioned in written sources.
The plan is to document the blockage and the individual wrecks through photogrammetry, which is expected to form the basis for determining the dimensions and ship-technical characteristics of the individual ships. The fieldwork includes sampling for dendrochronological analysis of timber and ICP analysis of bricks from the galleys in each wreck. Hopefully, the results can answer where the ships were built and equipped.
Project members
Project managers
Niklas Eriksson
Forskare, universitetslektor
Members
Tori Falck
Doktorand
