Description
Book SynopsisThe Poole Iron Age logboat, one of the largest surviving prehistoric watercraft in Britain, is today imposingly displayed in the entrance to Poole Museum in Dorset. However, the vessel faced a difficult journey from its first discovery to the amazing artefact we can now see. Recovered from Poole Harbour in 1964, it is impossible to overestimate the international significance of this vessel. But until now it had never been fully recorded and apart from its impressive size, very little was known about it. Its dimensions made it inherently unstable and suggest it was designed for use solely in Poole Harbour. This book is the culmination of significant multi-disciplinary work carried out by a variety of specialists, from conservators to woodworking and boatbuilding experts, exploring not only the craft’s history but also its functionality – or lack of – as a vessel. Digital recording, using the latest technology, has made it possible to test its capabilities. For the first time, prehistorians, nautical archaeologists and lay people alike can understand the story of one of Britain’s oldest boats – the archaeological and historical background, the environmental context, the timber and ship science, and the challenges of conserving such an important vessel.
Table of ContentsList of figures; List of tables; List of contributors; Acknowledgements; Foreword – Professor Seán McGrail; Chapter 1: Introduction - Keith Jarvis†; Chapter 2: Environmental and archaeological background to prehistoric Poole Harbour – Eileen Wilkes; Chapter 3: Evidence for the building of the Poole logboat – Damian Goodburn; Chapter 4: The Poole logboat: digital comparisons – Pat Tanner; Chapter 5: The conservation of the Poole logboat – Jeremy Hutchings and James A. Spriggs; Chapter 6: The display and interpretation of the Poole logboat – Katie Morton and David Watkins; Bibliography; Index
