River Ant Anglo-Saxon Boat

In the summer of 2010 at Ludham, near Great Yarmouth on the River Ant between Horning Hall and Browns Hill workmen unearthed a log boat during flood defence work. The boat made from a solid piece of oak was 2.2 m down in the silt clay. As it was damaged by the digger, the work was stopped so that archeologists could examine it. Radiocarbon dates, which were announced in November 2010, showed that the layer below the boat is from AD 650 to AD 780, and the layer above the boat is from AD 890 to AD 1020 (dendrochronological data that can give a more accurate estimation are not available as yet). Thus the boat dates from the Anglo-Saxon period. Near the boat that could carry up to three people five horse and sheep skulls were found, which may point to the fact that the vessel might have been used in some sort of a ritual. The boat was transported to York in order to undergo special treatment to preserve it. Hopefully, the two pieces of this exceptional find can be fitted together so that the Anglo-Saxon boat might become a central exhibit at Norwich Castle Museum. To find an ancient boat in such a preserved state is a rare chance. To be sure, it will help us to learn more about everyday life during the Anglo-Saxon period.

Photo: River Ant boat. By Nigel Pope. Used with permission.