Dugout canoe in Lake Bracciano
The dugout canoe from Lake Bracciano , ( Italian La piroga del lago di Bracciano ) in the Lazio region , in the Italian metropolitan city of Rome , about 30 km northwest of Rome was discovered in 1999. The dugout canoe from the Neolithic Age (6000–4000 BC) was broken into two parts at the time of its discovery in the almost round 9 km diameter Bracciano Lake . Its length was about 9.5 meters. First the stern of the boat, which was about ten meters deep and consisted of a large oak trunk, was found. Inside were traces of stone axes and other tools.
The discovery was made by a team of underwater archaeologists led by Maria Antonietta Fugazzola Delpino. The area in which the find was made is the "Marmotta", which lies about 12 meters deep under the promontory of the city of Anguillara Sabazia , where the remains of a Neolithic village ( Italian Villagio neolitico ) that have been excavated since 1989 are located. It is the oldest Neolithic river bank settlement in Europe. Some such villages around lakes in Germany, France and Switzerland are 1000 years younger. Near the old bank, the dugout canoe was found between a series of vertical poles anchored deep in the ground and probably used as a dry dock.
The existence of Neolithic boats is also confirmed by the discovery of numerous models of ceramic boats in the huts, likely associated with religious practices and the oldest of their kind found so far in Europe.
See also
literature
- Maria Antonietta Fugazzola Delpino: Un tuffo nel passato: 8000 ani fa nel lago di Bracciano 1996
Web links