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Researchers Uncover Clues to Mysterious Origin of Famous Hjortspring Boat
Chemical analysis links the 2,400-year-old Hjortspring war canoe to pine-rich Baltic regions, with a partial fingerprint offering a direct human connection to its ancient crew.
- Researchers at Lund University analysed the Hjortspring boat's caulking and cordage, producing the strongest clue yet to its origin and discovering a partial human fingerprint in the caulking that could link to seafarers.
- Discovered on Als, the Hjortspring boat was first excavated in the early 20th century and was intentionally sunk after an attack involving roughly 80 warriors.
- Dating and chemical analysis revealed radiocarbon dates of 381 and 161 BCE on cordage, while GC-MS found the caulking contained animal fat and pine pitch from the Baltic Sea coast.
- The team now hopes to extract ancient DNA from the caulking fingerprint to link individuals to the vessel, while researchers say the voyage covered hundreds of kilometers by sea, implying early Iron Age maritime raiding.
- As the only preserved prehistoric plank boat in Scandinavia, the Hjortspring boat survived over 2,000 years in oxygen-poor bog preservation, while modern analytical methods published in PLOS One reveal new origins insights.
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14 Articles
14 Articles
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der Standard DE
der Standard DEIn the fourth century B.C. warriors invaded the island of Alsen, which is now part of Denmark. From where the men came, it was now possible to narrow down
·Vienna, Austria
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The Hjortspring boat: Partial fingerprint in ancient tar offers rare glimpse into seafaring past
A new analysis of the Hjortspring boat, an ancient wooden plank boat now on display in the National Museum of Denmark, has yielded clues to its potential origin—which has long been considered a mystery, according to a study published in PLOS One by Mikael Fauvelle from Lund University, Sweden, and colleagues.
·United Kingdom
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Total News Sources14
Leaning Left3Leaning Right0Center7Last UpdatedBias Distribution70% Center
Bias Distribution
- 70% of the sources are Center
70% Center
L 30%
C 70%
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