Long believed to be Danish, researchers believe it was made outside Denmark.

Over a century after the Hjortspring boat was uncovered in Scandinavia, researchers may be closer to solving the mystery of its origin – which until recently was believed to be Danish.

The pine plank-built vessel, found with a hoard of swords, spears, and shields, carried warriors who tried to attack the Danish island of Als and were defeated. The defenders sank the ship in a bog, where it remained for over two millennia – much longer than thought.

A new study published in PLOS One analyzed the boat’s building materials and provided radiocarbon dating, suggesting it may have traveled farther than previously thought. Mikael Fauvelle, lead author and associate professor at Lund University, said the work offers “an important new clue for the mystery of where the raiders in the boat came from.”

He explained that Scandinavians traveled by sea during the Bronze Age to trade for copper and tin, which were not mined locally, making the Hjortspring boat, now an exhibit at the National Museum of Denmark, a key example of early Scandinavian seafaring.

The team also discovered a partial human fingerprint on tar fragments, possibly left by one of the boat’s original seafarers. Fauvelle described it as “a rare find that could provide a direct link to someone who used the boat.”

More to read:
[animation] Ancient Greeks were first to build a railway

Before its sinking, the Hjortspring boat measured nearly 20 meters (66 feet) and could hold 24 men. Its planks are sewn together, with curved extensions at each end. Flemming Kaul, coauthor and senior researcher at the National Museum of Denmark, noted it is “the oldest preserved plank-built boat of Northern Europe” and evidence of advanced early Iron Age shipbuilding.

This dating contradicts previous research that put its age somewhere within early medieval times.

In 2024, the team analyzed previously unexamined caulking and cordage from the boat, uncovering a major new clue. The caulking, previously assumed to be local materials, was a mix of animal fat and pine pitch.

Since Denmark had few pine forests at the time, the boat may have originated from Baltic coastal regions, suggesting the raid was planned and the attackers traveled long distances.

Radiocarbon dating of cordage found in the archive confirmed the vessel dates to the fourth or third century BC.

The finding shows that Scandinavian seafaring traditions, most famously associated with the Viking age, have deep roots going back thousands of years and that the Baltic Sea was an important place for early Scandinavian traders and raiders.

You may support our small reporting project via BuyMeCoffee. Any amount is welcome.