A people with diversified activities
This practice dates back to a Scandinavian people called the “Pitted Ware Culture” (PWC), a group of Neolithic hunter-gatherers who lived in Scandinavia between 3,500 and 2,300 BC, according to the study published on August 26 in the “Journal of Maritime Archaeology.” This population was particularly known for its pottery, but not only.
Seal hunting was in fact his second specialty. To understand why and how Scandinavian hunter-gatherers excelled so much in this practice, archaeologists have wondered what type of boat they could have used.
Seals at the center of a human way of life
They concluded that they used seal skins to build boats, as well as the oil contained in seal fat for boat maintenance. In addition to the many bones found at archaeological sites where PWCs lived, seal oil has been found inside pottery.
“Seals were also one of the best animals for boat building, as we know that the Inuit used seal oil to waterproof their boats,” “The study's lead author, Mikael Fauvelle, a researcher in the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History at Lund University in Sweden, told Live Science.
These boats, whose structure was made of wood, were later covered with animal skins which, unfortunately, do not stand the test of time, which means that researchers cannot find proof of this today.
The need for strong ships
Scandinavian hunter-gatherers used to travel across large bodies of water. “These people had to paddle far to hunt, fish and trade,” Mr. Fauvelle added. The researcher also adds that sealskin boats would have been robust enough for this work, which is not the case for boats simply built from tree trunks.
Research at the excavation sites has shown that the ships could carry a dozen people as well as animals such as bears, deer and cattle. The only problem is that researchers have very little evidence to support the claim that hunter-gatherers used these types of boats.
The only evidence, which is probably the most reliable, is the artistic representations on which it is possible to see “drawings comparable to today's ethnographic skin boats and representations of rectangular boats that are translucent and reveal the ribs or frame of the craft”underlines the team of researchers.
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