The discovery of a prehistoric boat which had been buried for more than 2,000 years beneath a farm field has already provided historians with an insight into Iron Age life in Yorkshire (England). But now academics say the vessel which dates back to 300 BCE is also helping to show how the face of the region would change in future if the sea levels continue to rise.
     The discovery of the Hasholme log boat in a farm field has driven a research project mapping out how the River Foulness valley has looked dating back more than 10,000 years. The boat was unearthed by chance by an archaeologist on his father's former farm in East Yorkshire while drainage work was being carried out 25 years ago. The boat was found in a drainage ditch on dry land but had sunk into the ground when the site was part of an estuary to the Humber. Scientists believe a cataclysmic flood between 800 and 500 BCE transformed the landscape from a low-lying area of woodland into open water.
     Dr Halkon, who is an archaeology lecturer at Hull University, began his research by looking at the impacts of the Romans on this part of the East Riding. He and fellow archaeologist Martin Millett had found a Roman pottery kiln on the farm and were surveying drainage trenches in search of artefacts. The boat was discovered as that work was going on when they spotted a heap of timber which had been dumped by one of the large drainage machines. Dr Halkon said: "We noticed that part of the wood had been worked and we realised it was a boat - although we didn't realise straight away how big it was at more than 12.5m." Tree ring dating shows that the boat was made from a tree which had been cut down between 321 and 277 BCE. Dr Halkon said: "The boat was used to transport people and goods around this part of East Yorkshire. It contained a cargo of beef and timber when it sank. The area is now farmland but it was once an offshoot of the River Humber, with the drier land populated with small farming settlements".
     Since the discovery the scope of the research into the Foulness Valley has stretched back to 10,000 BCE with findings from the Palaeolithic age. Historians now know that the area was once home to one of the oldest and largest pre-historic iron industries after discovering scores of iron working sites and nearby settlements. Archaeologists have also uncovered evidence of a forest through the discovery of oak trees and remains of red deer which date back to the Bronze Age.
     The focus of Dr Halkon's research is looking at how people have adapted to the changing landscape as the waters rise and recede from the East Yorkshire countryside. He said: "Rising water levels is not always a bad thing. We have found evidence of axes from Wales dating back to the Neolithic period which show that the river opened up the area for trade. By studying lots of clues in the ancient landscape we have been able to put together maps of the valley showing how much of the land was underwater." Dr Halkon says understanding how the landscape was then, can help to determine how it might be in the future. He said: "Two thousand years ago this East Yorkshire farmland was under water as part of the Humber estuary. The present rise in global sea levels may mean that the landscape is reverting to the way it was in the Iron Age. This is a natural cycle, although according to most scientists human intervention is undoubtedly exacerbating this pattern."

Source: Yorkshire Post (9 August 2009)