Day8!

Today was the start of a new phase of The Eurybia project. With the log 'flipped' yesterday we were now able to start the experiments on hollowing out methods. The log has been divided up into four different sections (1-4) and each section will be used to test different methods of construction.

Showing one of the four sections The Eurybia has been divided into. This is Section2 and will be used to test different Mesolithic tools on removing charred remains.

Work began today on Section2. This section would be hollowed using fire to char the wood and then a range of different Mesolithic tools to remove the charred remains. The difficult part is starting to char the parent log without there being a flat surface to put a fire onto. We got over this problem by holding a burning log on top of the parent log and allowed the embers to catch the parent log on fire.

Holding the embers of a burning log on top of the parent log to catch it alight.

Blowing oxygen on to the embers to increase the heat and help catch the parent log alight.

Once the parent log started to burn by itself a bigger fire could be built on top to char a bigger area. Once an area had been burnt it was time to try and remove some of the burnt wood. This was done today with an antler pick.

The antler pick in question. From a Red deer these are common finds in prehistoric finds assemblages. They can be used for all manner of jobs from mining to adzing. 

The pick was closely photographed before use and its wear will be monitored as it is used. As we began using the pick we re-learnt a lesson from last years boat build. Even if an area looks well charred that char may not penetrate the log very far. This was the case today, despite the parent log looking well burnt the burning had not gone deeply into the log making removing anything very difficult. It was however a good chance to work with a very new type of tool and reminded us that we need to burn a lot longer if we want to  remove any substantial about of material.

The antler pick in use.

Tomorrow the fire will be set on Section2 at the start of the day so by the afternoon we can really make a dent in the parent log. We will also try using more, different, Mesolithic tools. We are also looking forward to having volunteers from Help for Heroes recovery centre, Tedworth House, Wiltshire who will begin work on The Epimetheus!

Day7!

So it has been a little bit of a wait on updates on the project but that is because day 4,5 and 6 were filled with just adzing the bottom of The Eurybia to be broad and flat but now after many hours of hard adzing and up to 150kg of chippings removed she was flat bottomed enough and ready to be rolled!

The broad and flat bottom of The Eurybia. This will make her nice and stable in the water.

The chippings removed from the boat have all been weighed and will now be used as fuel for burning out the inside of the log.

A small example of the chippings that have been weighed and are waiting to be burnt.

After completing the bottom of the boat The Eurybia was then rolled onto the new flat bottom and I considered the next phase of the build......after taking a selfie of a very happy boat building team!

Pondering the next phase of the boat build, the hollowing out of the log.

A very happy boat build team after having just 'flipped the log'.

The next stage of the project will see the inside of the log being hollowed out and The Eurybia starting to take shape. The boat will be divided into sections and different techniques and tools used in each section with data being collected the whole time. This will include using hot flints to burn the log, using antler picks, and using wedges to remove the inside mass. All these methods and our findings will be posted here as they happen!

Day2

Wow! And we thought yesterday was hot! On the farm today we almost very nearly hit 30 degrees! Loving the sunshine but not so keen on having to adze the bottom of The Eurybia through it!

The temperature reading at 1400 hours today at the farm!!!

Despite the heat the team cracked on with flattening the bottom of The Eurybia. The process is still being carried out with the bronze tools as there is still a skills gap within the team but it is getting smaller with every chip that comes off!

Working on the bottom of The Eurybia with a bronze adze.

Progress is quite quick and a lot of material has already been removed from the parent log. This material will be weighed so that we know exactly how much material has been removed to make the boat. We are open to any estimates that you may think of!

A small selection of the material removed from the parent log so far.

Tomorrow there will be not much done on the project as Butser Ancient Farm are holding their annual 'Do it!' day for members of the public to experience all things ancient and Experimental Archaeology. It is a great day out and will give you the chance to see both The Eurybia and The Epimetheus in the early stages of their build.

Day 1!

With the sun beaming down on Butser Ancient Farm the time had come to begin this summers boat build project. The aim of the day was to remove most of the bark from the parent log of The Eurybia and to start flattening in the bottom of the log.

The bark of the log was removed using a cow scapula. Bone is a much under rated material for tools and the thin shoulder blades slid underneath the bark easily allowing it to be prized off. The removal of the bark in one stage makes the building of the rest of the boat much easier as cut marks and levels can be seen a lot easier without the bark obscuring them.

Using a cow scapula tool to remove the bark from The Eurybia's parent log.

Making the bottom of a log boat flat is important as it increases the boats stability once it is in the water. All known archaeological examples of log boats have these flat bottoms. Bronze adzes are being used to flatten the bottom of the boat. Although the build mainly aims to be a 'stone age' project, the use of the harder bronze adzes allows the volunteers working on the boat to get experience of working with an unusual tool and also the mind set of working with much more delicate tools than modern steel tools.

Using a long handled bronze adze to flatten the bottom of the boat.

By the end of the day, as well as some very hot and bothered volunteers, the majority of the bark had been removed and the flattening of the boats bottom was well under way. Tomorrow sees a day of adzing in the sunshine to get the bottom fully flat.

Welcome to The Eurybia Project!

The Eurybia project is the new and exciting boat building project being undertaken this summer at Butser Ancient Farm, Hampshire. The project aims to use Experimental Archaeology to investigate the construction methods of prehistoric log boats.

At the end of the project we hope to have two complete log boats that have been built using different methods and tools that would have been available to Prehistoric man. The two boats are The Eurybia and The Epimetheus.

The Eurybia: This is the big one! Measuring around 7.5m in length this pine tree will make the largest of the two boats. The Eurybia will be the testing ground for a number of different building techniques including the use of hot flints to burn the inside of the boat and the splitting of the wood with wedges to hollow out the log. The experiment will also include investigations into the use wear on Mesolithic Tranchet Axes (part of a research project from the Archaeology department at The University of York).

The parent log of the Eurybia ready for work to begin.

The Epimetheus: A smaller pine log measuring only 3.5m in length the Epimetheus will be used to investigate the choice of log for boat building by Prehistoric man. The tree was felled due to a Cauliflower Fungus growing at its base that has caused the tree to rot from the inside out. This meant that the tree was unsafe and likely to fall down in the next gale. We are also testing whether this rot means that the hollowing out of the log will be a lot easier. The Epimetheus will be being built with the help of Help for Heroes Recover Centre, Tedworth House, Wiltshire.

Follow our progress through our blog, Facebook page (www.facebook.com/theeurybiaproject), Instagram (@wattsatbutser) and Twitter (@EurybiaProject)