Archaeologists Reveal Ancient, Single-Log Boats Used to Navigate Prehistoric England

[Judi Lynn]

Rare prehistoric vessels go on display in England following a thirteen-year conservation battle.

by Mihai Andrei November 28, 2025
Edited and reviewed by Tibi Puiu



Image credits: Historic England Archive.

Flag Fen Archaeology Park sits in the midst of a unique Bronze Age landscape east of Peterborough, in England. Some 3,500 years ago, people navigated this mysterious world using a timber causeway and clever boats carved from single logs. But for reasons we still don’t fully understand, they eventually dumped these vessels into a creek.

Back in 2011, archaeologists from Cambridge, England, discovered nine such boats on the riverbed. Three rare log boats, dating back to the Bronze and Iron Ages, were remarkably well preserved and have now gone on public display for the first time. They tell a remarkable story about the precision and ability of our ancestors, but also leave behind a few mysteries.

Mysteries of the Marsh
To the modern eye, a hollowed-out log might seem primitive. However, these were not crude rafts; they were the pickup trucks and sedans of the Bronze Age, essential for navigating a swamp environment.

The largest of the newly displayed collection is a 6.3-meter (20-foot) vessel from the Middle Bronze Age, carved from a single oak trunk. Its interior bears the scars of charring, likely a technique used to help hollow out the tough heartwood or to seal the timber.

More:
https://www.zmescience.com/science/archaeology/bronze-age-boats-flag-fen/