The tree species of Po valley Logboats

Alice Lucchini, Mauro Bernabei

Abstract

Logboats are present on many continents. Despite being made of a tree-trunk, they cannot be simplified to only one building tradition. In Italy, the main studies usually list the findings, but we lack knowledge about the timber and the vessel construction. In our study, 16 logboats, for a total of 69 samples, were analyzed to identify the tree species used in the different parts of the boats. Different tree species were identified, including oak (Quercus sp.), chestnut (Castanea sativa), and elm (Ulmus sp.). We found dogwood (Cornus mas) and willow (Salix sp.) in treenails, and in some cases, we detected the use of pieces of bark and phloem. Long believed to have been dug out from a single tree, our results demonstrate that these logboats also contain components made from woods different from the main hull. Thus, the traditionally accepted nomenclature seems inappropriate and likely to confuse research efforts.

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IMEKO-TC4-MetroArchaeo2020-110.pdf

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IMEKO TC

TC4 - Measurement of Electrical Quantities

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