北欧ほくおう最古級さいこきゅうの板張いたばり船ふね「ヒョルトスプリング号ごう」新しん分析ぶんせき――出発地しゅっぱつち特定とくていへの道筋みちすじが明あきらかに

The latest research findings on the ancient wooden ship Hjortspring, which was excavated from the wetlands of Denmark about a century ago, have been published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE.

There have been many mysteries surrounding the origin of this ship until now, but the results of this analysis have brought significant progress in solving this issue.

The ship was loaded with weapons such as swords, spears, and shields, indicating that there was once a group that attempted to attack the Danish island of Als. However, the attack failed, and the ship was sunk into the marsh by the islands defense forces.

Excavation work was carried out in the early 1920s, and before that, this ship had been preserved in a peat bog for about 2,000 years.

Since its discovery, there is still no clear evidence regarding the era or the region of origin of the attacking group.

However, this time, a detailed analysis of the ships materials and radiocarbon dating data have suggested that this ship may have come from a place much farther away than previously hypothesized.

Associate Professor Mikael Foberg of Lund University in Sweden, who led the research, said, We have obtained a very important clue to uncovering the origins of the attack group.

According to Mr. Forbreg, Scandinavians of the Bronze Age had no choice but to cross the sea for trade in order to obtain copper and tin, which are essential for the production of bronze.

Therefore, the Hjortspring boat symbolizes the pinnacle of early maritime culture in Scandinavia.

Furthermore, in this study, human fingerprints were discovered on some of the tar fragments remaining on the hull, providing valuable evidence of a direct connection to the people who were once involved in the construction of the ship.

The Hyoth Spring boat is approximately 20 meters long and can carry up to 24 people. It has a unique structure, with the bottom planks, both sides, the bow, and the stern all tied together with ropes.

Currently, this ship is on display at the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen.

According to Mr. Fleming Kaul, a senior researcher at this museum, this is the oldest example of a plank-built boat in Northern Europe, and it proves that advanced shipbuilding techniques existed in Scandinavia during the early Iron Age.

Regarding the origin of the ship, detailed investigations have been conducted since its excavation, but it was only last year that analyses of the waterproofing material caulking and the ropes on board were carried out for the first time, revealing new facts that overturn previous hypotheses.

It was previously thought that linseed oil and local beef tallow were used as waterproofing materials, but in reality, it was a mixture of animal fat and pine resin.

At that time, there were hardly any pine forests in Denmark, so it is likely that the ship was built in a Baltic Sea coastal area where pine forests existed.

Therefore, it can be inferred that the attack was organized and carried out after a long voyage.

Mr. Forbreg points out that the history of piracy and maritime trade in Scandinavia did not begin with the Viking Age, but dates back to the early Iron Age or even the Bronze Age.

Just like today, political conflicts and alliances at that time also spread beyond regional boundaries, and people interacted with distant lands.

Senior researcher at the Roskilde Museum, Ole Krumholm, did not participate in this study, but he agrees with the view that the Hjortspring boat came from the Baltic Sea region, as pine resin was found in the waterproofing material.

He said, Modern people tend to underestimate the abilities of ancient people, but in reality, they crossed the North Sea and the Baltic Sea in small boats, emphasizing the importance of preserving relics in museums.

At the time of excavation, no one expected that advanced analytical techniques would emerge a hundred years later, leading to the discovery of minute evidence and the acquisition of new knowledge.

In the future, I hope that the geographical origin of this ship will be identified more precisely, he said.

The research team conducted radiocarbon dating on fragments of waterproofing material and ropes that remained intact, and determined that this ship was built in the 4th to 3rd century BCE.

It matches the previous estimate.

The discovery of fingerprints in this era and region is also extremely rare and holds great academic significance.

Currently, the research team is conducting experiments on X-ray image analysis of ship planks and extraction of ancient DNA from tar, opening up new approaches to pinpoint the exact origins of the raiding group.

This achievement can be said to have brought a new perspective to the study of ancient Scandinavian history.