News - Ancient boats built with ‘advanced construction techniques’ discovered in Italy lake

Archaeologists have made a startling discovery at the bottom of Italy's Lake Bracciano at the submerged prehistoric coastal settlement of La Marmotta. During the current excavations, five canoes, about 7,000 years old, have been found on the bottom of this lake. Archaeologists reported this amazing discovery in PLOS One magazine. Radiocarbon dating has revealed that these canoes were made of alder, European beech, oak, and poplar between 5700 and 5100 BC. These are the oldest boats ever found in the Mediterranean region. The two largest finds are almost 11 meters long and 1.2 meters wide. Archaeologists have considered it likely that due to the easy access to the Tyrrhenian coast via the River Arrone, these boats could have been used for trade. Archaeologists found out as well that ancient boat builders used advanced construction techniques to build their boats. These canoes were made with "transversal reinforcements," which increased the strength of the hull of the boats. Also, these boats were equipped with sails or mobile supports.