| Abstract: |
E V Wright lists the steps which should follow any discovery of an ancient boat, and J E G McKee puts the need for a glossary of boat terms to be widely agreed. A section on conservation problems includes contributions from J F Levy, J deJong, C W Gregson and J Roefzema and ranges from fundamentals of wood properties to a foil cocoon system for impregnating wood. Two papers deal with ethnographic matters; Olof Hasslof writes on the ways in which the 'living tradition' is handed on, while O L Filgueiras describes and discusses the saveiro boat of Portugal. The symposium then moved on to quantitative methods of analysis, with S McGrail applying these to twenty-four log boats of England and Wales (with a consideration of shrinkage estimates) and offering a provisional functional classification. However, J M Graham believes that the wide variety of boat finds and characteristics is inimical to the use of numerical taxonomy though prediction of boat performance (payload, manning etc) appears a promising area of research. Recording of boat finds is vital, and Ole Crumlin-Pedersen discusses the relative merits of scale drawing, full-scale tracing and stereophotogrammetry in matters of reconstruction and publication. A C Evans calls for the establishment of an accepted framework of measurements applicable to all wreck sites for comparative purposes, while C O Cederlund describes the recording of a sewn boat from Stockholm (1896 find). J E G McKee discusses the nature of reconstructions when several alternatives are available from the fragmentary evidence. J F Coates puts the view of a naval architect when confronted with, for example, fragmentary Bronze Age remains. Experimental archaeology is J M Coles' topic: he defines three levels of experiment (display, production, function) and stresses the need for critical examination of the reliability of reconstructions. S McGrail takes this point further: the authenticity of replicas must be tested before deductions are made about the capabilities of the original vessel; variant interim models should be used. The Brendan project is described by its instigator: T Severin sailed his replica of a 5th century skin boat as far as Iceland, and hopes to make a N American landfall eventually. Arne Emil Christensen offers a provisional classification of ancient boat building methods, discussing the importance of the concepts of shell and skeleton building and the need for more research especially on the 'transitional' method. Celtic - or rather, celtic - ships and barges of Europe are P Marsden's subject, while D Sturdy outlines a research project for the archaeology of the Thames boats. Basil Greenhill sums up and a glossary is provided. |
