Romano-Celtic boatbuilding and the romanisation of landscape and boatbuilding practice - article ; n°1 ; vol.14, pg 171-176

Damian M.Goodburn

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Archaeonautica - Année 1998 - Volume 14 - Numéro 1 - Pages 171-176
Cet exposé aborde différents aspects de la construction navale dite « romano-celtique » (gallo-romaine), selon deux perspectives n'ayant pas encore reçu à ce jour une grande attention scientifique. L'accent est mis sur le caractère révolutionnaire de la façon de travailler le bois et sur l'analyse de la nature des matières premières utilisées afin de tenter une reconstitution des paysages boisés exploités à l'époque. Les exemples cités ont été enrichis par les nouvelles connaissances acquises sur le travail du bois chez les Romains, et par la reconstruction partielle en taille réelle d'une section de la coque du navire de Blackfriars 1. Ce travail apporte des informations sur le nord- ouest de l'Europe qui peuvent être comparées avec le travail de M. Rival sur les navires romains de style classique en Méditerranée1. Il a pour but en outre, de définir dans quelle mesure les découvertes nautiques peuvent éclairer certains aspects de l'histoire du paysage culturel que l'archéologie terrestre ne permet pas de cerner.
6 pages

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• Publié par: ARCHAEONAUTICA
• Publié le: 01 janvier 1998
• Nombre de lectures: 45
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

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Damian M. Goodburn
Romano-Celtic boatbuilding and the romanisation of landscape
and boatbuilding practice
In: Archaeonautica, 14, 1998. Construction navale maritime et fluviale. Approches archéologique, historique et
ethnologique. pp. 171-176.
Résumé
Cet exposé aborde différents aspects de la construction navale dite « romano-celtique » (gallo-romaine), selon deux perspectives
n'ayant pas encore reçu à ce jour une grande attention scientifique. L'accent est mis sur le caractère révolutionnaire de la façon
de travailler le bois et sur l'analyse de la nature des matières premières utilisées afin de tenter une reconstitution des paysages
boisés exploités à l'époque. Les exemples cités ont été enrichis par les nouvelles connaissances acquises sur le travail du bois
chez les Romains, et par la reconstruction partielle en taille réelle d'une section de la coque du navire de Blackfriars 1. Ce travail
apporte des informations sur le nord- ouest de l'Europe qui peuvent être comparées avec le travail de M. Rival sur les navires
romains de style classique en Méditerranée1. Il a pour but en outre, de définir dans quelle mesure les découvertes nautiques
peuvent éclairer certains aspects de l'histoire du paysage culturel que l'archéologie terrestre ne permet pas de cerner.
Citer ce document / Cite this document :
Goodburn Damian M. Romano-Celtic boatbuilding and the romanisation of landscape and boatbuilding practice. In:
Archaeonautica, 14, 1998. Construction navale maritime et fluviale. Approches archéologique, historique et ethnologique. pp.
171-176.
doi : 10.3406/nauti.1998.1201
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/nauti_0154-1854_1998_act_14_1_1201Romano-Celtic boatbuilding
and the romanisation of landscape
and boatbuilding practice
Damian M. Goodburn
Résumé : Cet exposé aborde différents aspects de la construction navale dite « romano-celttque » (gallo-romaine), selon deux perspectives
n'ayant pas encore reçu à ce jour une grande attention scientifique. L'accent est mis sur le caractère révolutionnaire de la façon de tra
vailler le bois et sur l'analyse de la nature des matières premières utilisées afin de tenter une reconstitution des paysages boisés exploités à
l'époque. Les exemples cités ont été enrichis par les nouvelles connaissances acquises sur le travail du bois chez les Romains, et par la
reconstruction partielle en taille réelle d'une section de la coque du navire de Blackfriars 1. Ce travail apporte des informations sur le nord-
ouest de l'Europe qui peuvent être comparées avec le travail de M. Rival sur les navires romains de style classique en Méditerranée1. Il a
pour but en outre, de définir dans quelle mesure les découvertes nautiques peuvent éclairer certains aspects de l'histoire du paysage cul
turel que l'archéologie terrestre ne permet pas de cerner.
vessel found earlier at County Hall London4. The new finds THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEORIES
were also différent from those of thè clinker building tradiOF ROMANO-CELTIC BOATBUILDING
tion to the north and east. Marsden suggested that Caesar's
Space does not permit a thorough review of the develop- account of the vessels of thè Veneti described many of the
ment of théories on this subject, but an attempi at a summary features of the two London finds which where thus called
is presented below2. It must be recorded that the first written «Romano-Celtic». Soon many more finds of Roman period
account of what we hâve come to refer to in English as vessels were made in the Northern parts of the Empire which
« Romano-Celtic boatbuilding traditions » was that of Iulius shared some of the broader characteristics with the two
Caesar in his Gallic wars. Although this source has been hea- London finds although most were clearly river craft5. By the
late 1980' ties the number of known planked boat finds of vily relied on in récent times by many scholars there is stili
debate as to its precise meaning3. Roman date but not built in the classical style had increased
Peter Marsden's pioneering work in England on the to over 15 and Marsden had developed and refined his
Roman period boat finds made in 1958 at New Guys House, theory of the Celtic origin of thèse craft and defined several
Southwark, and in 1962 at Blackfriars, City of London ini- sub types :
tiated serious archaeological work in thè field. He recognised - Blackfriars type with deeper rounder hulls.
clear différences between thèse fiat floored round bottomed, - Zwammerdam type with shallow punt like hulls, with
heavily built vessels of oak and the vessels of the same period completely fiat bottoms.
- New Guys house type of narrow shallow, round hulled then known from the Mediterranean, and the Roman
river craft.
1. M. Rival, La charpenterie, 1991.
4. P. Marsden, Blackfriars, 1967. 2. D. Goodburn, Romano-Celtic Boats (forthcoming).
5. P. Bruges, 1976. 3. M. de Weerd, Zwammerdam, 1978.
Archaeonautica, vol. 14, 1998. © CNRS ÉDITIONS, 1999 D. M. GOODBURN 172
Most scholars had concerned themselves with describing HANDS ON RESEARCH INTO ASPECTS
the hulls of thèse craft in generai terms, the ethnicity of the OFTHE BUILDING OF ROUND HULLED
builders, typological considérations, and the possible order of ROM ANO-CELTIC VESSELS
construction ; that is, wether framing was erected before or
after the planking. Relatively little attention had been paid in The building of a new gallery to demonstrate the work of
détail to the woodworking or raw materials involved in the the Muséum of London archaeological teams in the ancient
construction of the craft with the exception of the work of port of London provided an opportunity for some practical
Arnold on the Swiss lake boat finds6. More recently Marsden research into aspects of the building of thèse craft.
has taken forward his study of the Blackfriars 1 find, and exa- This then was thè background against which a life sized
mined the possible performance of the vessel and its date7. reconstruction of part of the Roman Blackfriars ship hull was
There are at least two schools of thought on the order of built in 1989-91. The area chosen for reconstruction was
construction used in the round hulled types with Marsden about 2,5 m long in the vicinity of the mast step, at the fo
suggesting that they were built at least partly skeleton first, rward end of the hold. The replica section was built out of
whilst Hòckmann suggests that some form of shell first green oak from ancient woodland on the SE edge of London
construction with temporary cleats was used8. (fig. 1). No toolmark évidence was recorded for the
Blackfriars vessel and the surviving timbers are too damaged
for such évidence to survive. Therefore, we had to rely on the
DEVELOPMENTS IN THE ARCHAEOLOGY évidence from more récent excavations of Roman structural
OF ROMAN WOODWORKING woodwork as to the types of tools likely to hâve been used.
The récent publication of some of the toolmark évidence on
The development of understanding of Roman period the Guernsey Roman vessel which was rather similar to the
woodworking and woodlands in generai has progressed very Blackfriars craft, has vindicated our approach11. Where ever
rapidly in the last few years9. For example, we can demons- possible we used the types of tools and methods used by
trate from several différent systematically recorded excava Roman woodworkers. However, several anachronistic com
tions that three separate methods of sawing timber length- promises had to be made to suit the conditions required for
wise were known in Roman Britain but that as yet, there is thè display. For example bolts had to be used as frame to hull
no évidence for «pit sawing» as such. plank fastenings instead of the original nails as the 3 tonne
Systematic study of hundreds of Roman timbers from hull section had to be dismantled, fumigated and sent down
varied structures in London has been carried out with the a lift shaft !
help of tree-ring specialists to reconstruct the types of trees
and cultural landscapes that were being exploited to build
particular types of structure10. This work has shown that
there were many différent types of wooded landscape being
exploited in the SE of England during the Roman occupat
ion. As the timbers from boat finds are often particularly
well preserved they can be especially useful for this aspect of
research into ancient people's interaction with their environ-
ments.
Fig. 1: One of thè one piece oak floor timbers for the Roman
Blackfriars 1 boat replica being hewn out in ancient woodland near
London. (Photo D. M. Goodburn).
Vue d'une varangue en chêne de la réplique du bateau romain Blackfriars 6. B. Arnold, Gallo-Roman Boat Finds, 1978.
1 en cours d'équarissage dans une vieille forêt des environs de Londres. 7. P. Marsden, Ships ο f London, 1994.
(Photo D. M. Goodburn). 8. 0. Hockmann, Roman Rhine Vessel