Found in 2013 during the archaeological diagnosis of a site on the banks of the Garonne in Villenave-d'Ornon, near Bordeaux, this wreck is an exceptional testimony to the naval architecture of the High Middle Ages, indicates Inrap .
It is because it was kept in the mud that this wreck was able to keep its structure intact.
The very delicate phase of its dismantling has started, with the aim of starting a complete study of the ship.
It had been on the banks of the Garonne for 1,200 to 1,300 years, buried under the mud, which has allowed it to be very well preserved.
A team of archaeologists from Inrap (National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research) is currently excavating in Villenave d'Ornon, near Bordeaux, a shipwreck from the early Middle Ages.
Radiocarbon dating assigns this ship to the 7th and 8th centuries.
In Villenave d'Ornon near #Bordeaux, Inrap is currently excavating the remains of a boat from the early Middle Ages pic.twitter.com/unju63Pkaq
— 20minutesbordeaux (@20minutesbord) June 14, 2022
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“It is a boat that was found in 2013 during an archaeological diagnosis on this site, which must accommodate a real estate development project”, explains Laurent Grimberg, head of archaeological research at Inrap.
The team of archaeologists first unearthed the remains of a Gallo-Roman villa.
“There was therefore a background noise of an occupation in this area near the Garonne, but we did not know that we were going to find this wreck, says the research manager.
Colleagues came across this boat while digging a trench, and only saw a very small part of it at first.
»
Two copies in France
It was then necessary to wait until 2019, the time for the operation to be set up, to begin a first campaign of excavations, which had to be interrupted for weather reasons.
A second campaign started this year and should end in mid-September.
“The objective is to completely excavate the wreckage, and dismantle it, all or part.
»
It is "a major vestige", insists the archaeologist, because "examples of boats of this type, dating back to this period, are limited in France to two examples: one in Charente which is under water, and this one.
“Laurent Grimberg explains that this period of the High Middle Ages is capital, “because it is located at the hinge between the medieval world and the ancient world, which represents a period of transition for boats.
»
Furthermore, the geographical area where the wreckage was unearthed constitutes another hinge, “between northern Europe and the Mediterranean world, two sectors where construction is not at all the same.
» And it is only by dismantling the boat « that we can link it to such and such an influence or such a method of construction » continues the archaeologist.
“One day, it sank there, for some unknown reason…”
However, the first excavations have already made it possible to lift the veil on certain questions.
Preserved over twelve meters long, this sailing boat, mainly in oak but with a softwood floor, was actually to measure about fifteen meters.
"It was made to hold the weight and the load, even if we did not find any signs of the cargo" explains Laurent Grimberg.
The archaeologist points out, however, that “we found traces of plants – wheat, grapes – around.
»
Found in an estay, a small stream perpendicular to the Garonne, it is likely that it must have been used for the transport of goods, to load and unload in this sector "very fertile, but not easily accessible by land because it is swampy" further analyzes Laurent Grimberg .
"It's a fluvio-maritime which could take the ocean, since it is mounted on a keel" adds Marc Guyon, archaeologist-diver and specialist in naval architecture at Inrap.
The estay itself may have served as a "garage."
"And one day, it sank there, for some unknown reason..."
Waterlogged, some pieces weigh 200 to 300 kilos
Regarding its date of manufacture, “we would be between 680 and 720”.
In addition to radiocarbon dating, other indices make it possible to obtain information on the period and the environment of the boat.
"We took all the sediment to recover everyday objects, even if there were few: we found mainly ceramic shards, animal bones which may be meal residues, and the week last, a piece of wooden spoon, perhaps someone who lost this object, which would have slipped between the planks of the boat.
No ceramic shows that this boat could have lasted until the 14th century,” notes Laurent Grimberg.
Crucial step, the dismantling of the ship started from the floor.
A delicate phase, because the remains must remain almost permanently under water.
"If the wood is left to dry, it degrades very quickly, so we have to water it constantly," explains Laurent Grumberg.
Soaked in water, these pieces weigh eight times their normal weight.
"We're going to have a hard time getting some of them out, which will weigh between 200 and 300 kilos" anticipates the archaeologist.
Once disassembled, the parts are themselves stored under water before leaving for analysis.
Once the study of each piece has been completed, “we can reconstruct the puzzle, get an idea of the seaworthiness or even the precise load capacity of the ship.
The adventure of
Pepin the Short
, as archaeologists have nicknamed him, has only just begun.
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