Bronze Age secrets revealed as boats emerge from riverbed after 3,000 years

The boats lay undisturbed for centuries in ‘the peaty silence of time’

Three Bronze Age log boats, preserved on a silted-up riverbed for over 3,000 years, are set to go on public display following a meticulous 13-year conservation project.

These simple vessels, known as log boats, are crafted by hollowing out a single tree trunk.

Historically, some of the ancient craft were used to lay fish traps.

Nine log boats, dating from the Bronze and Iron Age, were discovered near Whittlesey in Cambridgeshire in 2011.

They have since been carefully preserved in climate-controlled conditions, using a specialised wax and water solution.

Three of the vessels, found at Must Farm, will now be displayed at Flag Fen Archaeology Park near Peterborough.

The boats were discovered near Whittlesey in 2011 (Historic England/Cambridge Archaeological Unit/PA Wire)

Jacqueline Mooney, general manager of Flag Fen Archaeology Park, said: "The Must Farm boats have lain undisturbed for over 3,000 years, preserved in the peaty silence of time. Now, through our new exhibition, they emerge to tell their story.

“This is more than an archaeological display — it’s a powerful reconnection with the people who once lived, worked and journeyed through this landscape."

The excavation of the log boats in 2011 and 2012 was funded by landowner Forterra, a manufacturer of building products, in advance of quarrying operations.

One of three log boats which will go on display at Flag Fen Archaeology Park (Historic England/Cambridge Archaeological Unit/PA Wire)

Iona Robinson Zeki, archaeological researcher at Cambridge Archaeological Unit, said: "The Must Farm log boats are an amazing discovery: they reveal that these simple, yet supremely effective boats were used to navigate a fenland river for almost a millennium.

“We can see, in their varied construction, how the qualities of different types and sizes of trees were used to make boats ranging from small, manoeuvrable canoes to long, stable punt-like vessels.

“These vessels were used to lay fish traps but also to transport people potentially alongside animals and materials."

The log boats destined for display include a 6.3-metre Middle Bronze Age oak vessel, which has areas of charring inside; a 2.2-metre fragment of a Middle Bronze Age oak boat featuring an intricate repair within the hull; and a 0.8-metre fragment of an Early Bronze Age boat made of field maple.