A new study suggests that people from the Pitted Ware Culture (PWC) in ancient Scandinavia likely built boats from animal skins, possibly seal hides, to fish, hunt, and trade. The PWC was a Neolithic group of hunter-gatherers who lived between 3500 and 2300 BC in regions near the Baltic and North Seas. Their survival heavily depended on the seas, where they relied on maritime activities, particularly seal hunting, as evidenced by the large quantities of seal bones discovered at their inhabited sites.

Seal Hides and Maritime Travel

Mikael Fauvelle, a researcher at Lund University in Sweden told Live Science, seals were not only hunted for food but also played a key role in making watercraft. Seal hides, along with oil extracted from their blubber, may have been used to construct and maintain boats.

Archaeologists have found traces of seal oil inside pottery, showing that these people had significant quantities of it. Boats made from such materials were sturdy enough for long voyages, which was essential given their reliance on sea travel, as per a study published in the Journal of Maritime Archaeology.

Long-Distance Trade and Seafaring Technology

The PWC’s boats had to cover large distances between islands like Gotland and Åland, making seal-hide watercraft ideal for these journeys. Primitive alternatives, such as canoes made from hollowed logs, would not have sufficed for such expansive travels. The boats may have been large enough to transport up to a dozen people and animals, including deer and bears.

Evidence from Rock Art and Fragments

Though physical evidence of these boats remains scarce, small fragments found in northern Sweden and rock art depicting boats offer clues. Some images show vessels with harpoon rests resembling animal heads. These drawings, along with boat frame fragments, suggest that the PWC were advanced in their seafaring techniques.