Routledge Library Editions: Archaeology [1 ed.] 9781138799714, 9781315751948, 9781138816107, 9781315746333, 1138799718

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ROUTLEDGE LIBRARY EDITIONS: ARCHAEOLOGY

Volume 55

THE FERRIBY BOATS

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THE FERRIBY BOATS Seacraft of the Bronze Age

EDWARD WRIGHT

First published in 1990 This edition first published in 2015 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OXI4 4RN and by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 1990 Edward Wright

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-138-79971-4 (Set) eISBN: 978-1-315-75194-8 (Set) ISBN: 978-1-138-81610-7 (Volume 55) eISBN: 978-1-315-74633-3 (Volume 55) Publisher's Note

The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this book but points out that some imperfections from the original may be apparent. Disclaimer

The publisher has made every effort to trace copyright holders and would welcome correspondence from those they have been unable to trace.

The Ferriby Boats Seacraft of the Bronze Age

Edward Wright

First published 1990 by Routledge New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 I I

©1990 Edward Wright Typeset, printed, and bound in Great Britain by Butler & Tanner Ltd, Frome and London All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Wright, Edward The Ferriby boats. I. Prehistoric wooden boats. Archaeological investigation Humberside. North Ferriby I. Title 623.8'21 ISBN ()-415-o2599~0

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Also available

This work is dedicated, first, to my brother with whom I shared the first decade of the project; second, to all those who have endured the ordeal of cold, mud, stench and exhaustion on the river-bank to bring to light evidence of some of early man's most remarkable technical achievements; and not least to my wife, family and friends who have shown the greatest tolerance towards my lifelong obsession with my subject.

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Contents

List of illustrations . List of tables. List of abbreviations Preface. Acknowledgements . Introduction by Sean McGrail 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Site, surroundings and discovery. Operations after World War II Boat 3 and later developments . Description of the boat-finds. Reconstruction and performance by E. V. Wright and]. F. Coates Materials and building . Other artefacts from the site . Environment, dating and archaeological background. Conclusion Glossary . Bibliography . Index .

Vlll Xlll XIV

xv XIX

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23 44 58 85 117 144 167 183 196 198 201

Illustrations

1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 I. 10 1.11 I. 12 I. 13 1.14 I. 15 I. 16 I. 17 1.18 I. 19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 2.1 2.2 2·3

Location of the North Ferriby and other boat-finds in the area. Map of the middle Humber showing areas of high ground bordering the estuary. The to-metre-high Red Cliff with section of glacial deposits. View from the boat-site across to the Lincolnshire shore. Post-glacial deposits at Melton. The post-glacial deposits at North Ferriby first reported by Bisat in 193I. Visit of the Yorkshire Geological Society to the North Ferriby site in 193I. 'Hurdle' structure excavated by C. W. and E. V. Wright c. 1935. Flint tool found by C. W. Wright in the peat at North Ferriby. First excavation of the eastern end of Ferriby I in September 1937. Second excavation of the newly located western end of Fr , September 1937. The tip of the keel-plank of FI. Appearance of the end of the lowest side-strake in Dig 2. The transverse ridge across the keel-plank. The third excavation (Dig 3) revealed what was later described as the 'saddle feature'. 'Blind' seam in the outer bottom-plank in Dig 3. Type of seam used by Gujerati boatbuilders. View of eastern end of F I during visit by the Hull Geological Society in 1938. Dig 4 in August 1938. The transverse joint or scarf in the keel-plank. Upstanding blocks on the planks. The eastern ends of the planks of FI after removal in the winter of 1938--~~fU'seod Vesse.ls AR£EToNINC\{ ISLANt>

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